GIFT   OF 


With  the  compliments  of  the  author 


ELISE  WILLING  BALGH 

IN  MEMORIAM 


ELISE  WILLING  BALGH 

IN  MEMORIAM 


BY 
EDWIN  SWIFT  BALCH 


PRIVATELY  PRINTED 

PHILADELPHIA 

1917 


\ 


Copyright,  1917,  by 
EDWIN  SWIFT  BALCH 


PRESS    OF 

ALLEN,  LANE  AND  SCOTT 

PHILADELPHIA 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


I.     GIRLHOOD 9 

II.     SOCIETIES  AND   CHARITIES 13 

TEAS.  LUNCHEONS.  DINNERS.  PAR 
TIES.  ASSEMBLIES.  BENEDICKS.  MID 
WINTER.  FORTNIGHTLY  CLUB.  CAV 
ENDISH.  ROUND  DOZEN.  COOKING 
CLASS.  FRENCH  CLASS.  READING 
CLASS.  BEASTON  CLASS.  CONTEM 
PORARY  CLUB.  ACORN  CLUB. 
SEDGELEY  CLUB.  COLONY  CLUB. 
GEOGRAPHICAL  SOCIETY.  HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY.  PENNSYLVANIA  FORESTRY. 
CITY  PARKS.  ANTI  SUFFRAGE.  VAL 
LEY  FORGE.  WILLING  DAY  NURSERY. 
INDIAN'S  HOPE.  MORRIS  REFUGE. 
COLONIAL  GOVERNORS.  COLONIAL 
DAMES. 

III.  LITERATURE  AND  MUSIC 39 

EDWARD  SHIPPEN.  PRINCE  DE  BROGLIE. 
THE  FRENCH  IN  AMERICA.  MELODY 
CLUB.  MENDELSSOHN  CLUB.  CON 
CERTS.  BOSTON  SYMPHONY.  GRAND 
OPERA.  MUSICALES.  CONCERT  FOR 
MORRIS  REFUGE.  PHILADELPHIA 
OPERATIC  SOCIETY. 

IV.  TRAVELS 51 

JOURNEYS  TO  EUROPE  IN  1886,  1887, 
1889,  1890,  1891,  1894,  1895,  1896, 
1897,  1899,  1901,  1902;  AND  TO  THE 
PACIFIC  COAST  IN  1900. 

V.     LETTERS  FROM  NORWAY,  SWEDEN,  RUS 
SIA  AND   GERMANY 101 

VI.     LAST  DAYS..  153 


ELISE  WILLING  BALGH 
IN  MEMORIAM 


I. 
GIRLHOOD. 

Elise  Willing  Balch,  daughter  of  Thomas  Balch 
and  Emily  Swift  Balch  his  wife,  was  born  on  30  July, 
1853,  at  "Woodfield,"  the  country  place  of  her  grand 
father  Joseph  Swift,  on  the  Old  York  Road,  Phila 
delphia.  Like  many  people  of  old  American 
stock,  she  was  descended  from  several  European 
nationalities,  among  them  English,  Scotch,  and 
Swedes;  and  also  from  some  French  Huguenots. 
She  numbered  among  her  colonial  ancestors  many 
distinguished  men  who  helped  to  build  up  and 
develop  the  colonies  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland 
and  New  York.  And  in  England  her  lineage  ran 
back,  through  Sir  Thomas  Forster,  Judge  of  the 
Common  Pleas  in  1607,  the  Forsters  of  North 
umberland  and  the  de  Umfravilles,  to  Saire  de 
Quincy,  Earl  of  Winchester,  one  of  the  sureties  of 
Magna  Charta,  15th  June,  1215. 

In  May,  1859,  she  went  to  Europe  with  her 
parents  on  the  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Persia  and  re 
mained  there  until  October,  1873.  The  winters, 
until  the  Franco-German  war,  were  spent,  with 
one  exception,  mostly  in  Paris,  where  she  resided 

(9) 


10  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

at  48,  Avenue  Gabriel,  facing  the  Champs-Elysees. 
The  winters  of  1865-1866,  1870-1871,  1871-1872, 
1872-1873,  were  spent  mainly  in  Germany,  and 
principally  in  Dresden  and  in  Wiesbaden.  As  a 
result  she  spoke  French  and  German  fluently,  in 
deed  as  well  as  a  native. 

Naturally,  therefore,  also,  she  was  educated  in 
France  and  in  Germany.  She  had  two  governesses 
in  Paris,  Miss  Lacoste,  a  daughter  of  the  First  Na 
poleon's  General  Lacoste,  and  Miss  Vuilly.  She 
also  attended  the  Cours  of  Monsieur  Remy,  in 
the  Rue  St.  Honore,  in  which  she  always  stood 
near  the  top.  Indeed  one  year,  altho  there  were 
over  fifty  French  girls  in  the  class,  she  took  first 
place.  In  Paris  also  she  went  to  the  dancing 
school  of  Celarius,  on  the  Rue  Vivienne,  and  among 
her  special  friends  were  the  grandchildren  of  Mon 
sieur  Guizot,  minister  of  foreign  affairs  of  Louis 
Philippe.  In  Germany  she  attended  a  private 
school  at  Dresden  during  part  of  one  winter,  but 
her  favorite  instructor  was  Miss  Varenna  at  Wies 
baden,  with  whom  she  kept  up  a  life-long  friend 
ship. 

While  thus  spending  most  of  the  winter  months 
in  Paris,  Dresden  and  Wiesbaden,  during  the  sum 
mers  she  travelled  over  the  greater  part  of  Cen 
tral  Europe.  Several  summers  were  spent  in  Switz 
erland:  in  1863  she  walked  across  the  Mer  de  Glace. 
Five  summers  were  spent  at  the  little  sea-shore  resort 


IN   MEMORIAM.  11 

of  Lion-sur-Mer,  near  Caen,  on  the  coast  of  Nor 
mandy.  Parts  of  three  summers  were  spent  at 
the  watering  place  of  Spa,  Belgium,  and  several 
visits  were  made  to  Homburg  vor-der-Hohe.  She 
also,  moreover,  travelled  over  much  of  Germany, 
Austria,  Belgium,  Holland,  France  (including  a 
visit  to  the  Pyrenees),  Denmark,  Italy  and  Eng 
land. 

On  account  of  her  youth,  she  went  but  little 
into  society  in  Europe.  Still,  on  three  occasions, 
she  was  present  at  somewhat  unusual  gatherings. 
During  the  winter  of  1871-1872,  after  the  Franco- 
German  war,  she  attended  a  ball  or  reception  given 
in  the  Kursaal  at  Wiesbaden  by  the  Kronprinz  and 
Kronprinzessin  Friedrich  of  Prussia.  On  1st  Janu 
ary,  1873,  together  with  her  father  and  mother,  she 
was  presented  by  the  Baroness  von  Globig,  Grande 
Maitresse  de  la  Cour  de  Saxe,  to  the  King  and  Queen 
of  Saxony  at  a  Court  Ball  in  Dresden,  where  at 
supper,  the  company  sat  at  small  tables.  And  in  the 
spring  of  1873,  on  the  invitation  of  Mr.  George 
Bancroft,  American  minister  to  Germany,  she  was 
present,  in  the  stranger's  gallery  in  the  Weisse  Saal 
in  the  Palace  at  Berlin,  at  the  opening  of  the 
Reichstag. 

She  returned  to  America  in  October,  1873,  on 
the  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Scotia,  and,  probably,  this 
was  the  last  crossing  to  America  of  a  paddle-wheel 
liner. 


ELISE   WILLING   BALCH — IN   MEMORIAM.  13 

II. 

SOCIETIES  AND  CHARITIES. 
TEAS.  LUNCHEONS.  DINNERS.  PARTIES.  AS 
SEMBLIES.  BENEDICKS.  MID-WINTER.  FORT 
NIGHTLY  CLUB.  CAVENDISH.  ROUND  DOZEN. 
COOKING  CLASS.  FRENCH  CLASS.  READING  CLASS. 
BE  ASTON  CLASS.  CONTEMPORARY  CLUB.  ACORN 
CLUB.  SEDGELEY  CLUB.  COLONY  CLUB.  GEO 
GRAPHICAL  SOCIETY.  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY.  PENN 
SYLVANIA  FORESTRY.  CITY  PARKS.  ANTI  SUFF 
RAGE.  VALLEY  FORGE.  WILLING  DAY  NURSERY. 
INDIAN'S  HOPE.  MORRIS  REFUGE.  COLONIAL 
GOVERNORS.  COLONIAL  DAMES. 

In  America,  after  a  year  spent  at  Newport,  R.  I., 
and  a  winter  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  Miss  Balch 
lived  during  the  winter  months  at  1412,  Spruce 
Street,  Philadelphia.  The  summers  were  passed 
partly  in  New  England,  at  Bar  Harbor,  York 
Harbor  and  other  such  summer  resorts;  one  summer 
was  spent  in  the  Canadian  Rockies  and  on  the 
Pacific  coast;  and  thirteen  summers  were  occupied 
by  trips  to  Europe. 

My  sister  was  a  busy  woman.  She  was  a  hard 
worker  and  was  always  occupied.  She  did  some  lit 
erary  work  and  gave  a  great  deal  of  time  to  music; 
she  worked  hard  for  numerous  societies  and  charitable 
organizations,  altho  much  of  her  charity  work  was 


14  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

done  by  herself;  and  above  all  she  did  a  great  deal 
of  work  for  her  family.  Altogether  I  think  I  can  say 
that  among  her  chief  characteristics  were  love  of 
work  and  unselfishness. 

She  was  of  a  very  sociable  disposition,  and  in  con 
sequence  went  to  a  great  many  teas,  luncheons, 
dinners  and  parties.  During  the  whole  of  her  life 
she  was  a  regular  subscriber  to  the  Assemblies  and 
usually  went  to  both  or  at  least  one  Assembly 
every  winter.  She  went  to  a  great  many  other  balls, 
among  them  frequently  to  the  Benedicks  and  the 
Mid-Winter  Balls.  She  belonged  at  various  times 
to  several  dancing  organizations,  among  them  the 
Fortnightly  Club,  which  was  started  about  1876,  and 
which  met  in  rotation  at  the  houses  of  the  members. 
In  those  days  Philadelphia  society  was  small  com 
pared  to  what  it  is  today,  and  therefore  it  was  still 
possible  to  gather  into  a  private  dwelling  a  company 
representative  of  society  as  a  whole. 

She  was  fond  of  whist,  bridge  and  euchre.  She 
never  played  for  money,  but  she  was  considered 
an  exceedingly  good  card  player  and  belonged  to 
different  card  clubs,  among  which  may  be  men 
tioned  the  Cavendish  and  the  Round  Dozen. 

She  also  belonged  at  different  times  to  several  so 
cieties  of  a  semi  social,  semi  educational  order. 
She  was  a  member  for  many  years  of  a  "  Cooking 
Class/'  where  the  members  took  turn-about  in 
cooking  luncheon,  and  thanks  to  this  she  became  an 


IN   MEMORIAM.  15 

excellent  cook.  Other  societies  of  a  similar  nature 
to  which  she  belonged  were  a  " French  Class77  and 
a  " Reading  Class/7  which  met  during  many  winters. 

Another  somewhat  similar  club  to  which  my 
sister  belonged  for  many  years  was  the  lecture  and 
debating  society  of  Miss  Beaston,  usually  spoken  of 
as  the  "Beaston  Class.77  It  was  something  of  the 
same  nature  as  the  Contemporary  Club  which  she 
joined  shortly  after  its  formation  in  1885,  on  the 
Executive  Committee  of  which  she  served  in  1894, 
and  of  which  she  remained  a  member  until  her 
decease. 

Miss  Balch  joined  the  Acorn  Club  about  October, 
1889,  and,  I  am  told,  she  was  probably  at  one  time 
on  what  was  called  the  Amusement  Committee. 
She  joined  the  Sedgeley  Club  in  1897,  and  Miss 
Margaret  L.  Corlies,  President  of  the  Sedgeley  Club, 
wrote  to  me  that  my  sister  "was  one  of  the  women 
whom  we  all  warmly  welcomed  for  her  kind  spirit 
and  never  failing  appreciation  of  our  efforts  to  estab 
lish  such  a  club  for  the  convenience  of  those  who 
could  appreciate  our  beautiful  park.77  She  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Colony  Club,  New  York 
City,  in  December,  1908.  Of  all  three  of  these  clubs 
she  remained  a  member  until  her  decease. 

Much  of  my  sister7s  time  was  devoted  to  work 
of  a  public  and  benevolent  or  charitable  character. 
Of  much  of  her  charitable  work  there  are  no  records, 
because  it  was  done  privately.  Among  the  pub- 


16  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

lie  societies  of  which  she  was  a  member,  was  the 
Geographical  Club,  now  Geographical  Society  of 
Philadelphia,  which  she  joined  shortly  after  its  in 
ception  and  to  which  she  belonged  for  about  ten 
years.  The  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania  also 
was  one  of  the  associations  of  which  she  was  a 
member,  having  joined  it  as  a  life  member  on 
23  December,  1907. 

She  also  became,  at  the  request  of  Mrs.  Brinton 
Coxe,  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Forestry  Association  for  which  she  paid  her  entrance 
fee  on  12  October,  1886.  She  became  a  life  member 
apparently  in  April,  1887,  and  always  took  great 
interest  in  the  success  of  the  Association.  She  was 
also  much  interested  in  the  improvement  of  Phila 
delphia  and  she  joined  the  City  Parks  Association  of 
Philadelphia  as  a  life  member  on  27  June,  1892,  altho 
she  never  took  any  active  part  in  the  organization. 

During  the  last  years  of  her  life,  my  sister  took 
some  interest  in  the  Woman  Anti-Suffrage  move 
ment.  Mrs.  Brinton  Coxe  informs  me  that  my 
sister  was  one  of  those  who  joined  with  her  in  starting 
the  "  Pennsylvania  Association  Opposed  to  Woman 
Suffrage"  in  the  year  1909,  and  that  my  sister 
acted  as  Treasurer  until  towards  the  end  of  the 
year  1912.  It  was  purely  voluntary  labor  on  her 
part  and  an  unnecessary  tax  on  her  declining 
strength.  After  her  death,  the  following  Resolu 
tions  were  passed  by  the  Executive  Board : 


IN    MEMORIAM.  17 

"Resolutions. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  Board  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Association  Opposed  to  Woman  Suf 
frage  on  the  30th  of  September,  1913,  it  was  unani 
mously  resolved  that 

"In  the  death  of 

"Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch 

"one  of  the  original  members  of  this  Association,  and 
for  many  years  our  Treasurer,  and  a  most  con 
scientious  and  untiring  worker,  we  have  lost  one  of 
our  most  esteemed  and  valuable  members. 

"We  desire  to  express  to  her  family  our  deep 
sympathy  in  their  bereavement,  and  our  own  sense 
of  great  and  irreparable  loss  in  our  work. 

"GRACE  PINE  JOHNSON, 

"Chairman. 
"(Mrs.  Russell  Johnson.) " 

Miss  Balch  was  much  interested  in  the  Washing 
ton  Memorial  Chapel  at  Valley  Forge.  In  it  she 
placed,  entirely  of  her  own  unaided  volition,  two  of 
the  Pews  of  the  Patriots:  one  to  her  great-great 
grandfather,  the  Rev.  Robert  Blackwell,  D.  D., 
(1748-1831)  chaplain  to  George  Washington;  the 
other  to  her  great-grandfather,  the  Rev.  Stephen 
Bloomer  Balch,  D.  D.,  (1747-1833)  captain  in  the 
Revolutionary  army,  and  pastor  of  the  oldest 
Presbyterian  church  in  Georgetown,  now  Washing 
ton,  D.  C.,  for  fifty-three  years. 


18  ELISE   WILLING    BALCH. 

The  Willing  Day  Nursery  was  one  of  the  charitable 
organizations  for  which  Miss  Balch  earnestly  labored, 
and  Mrs.  William  A.  Glasgow  kindly  sent  me  the 
following  information  about  my  sister's  connection 
with  it: 

"I  have  found  in  old  records  that: 

"I.  She  came  on  the  Board  as  a  Manager  in  1891. 

"II.  She  was  not  an  officer,  but  was  Secretary  pro 
tern  in  1894  for  a  short  time — one  winter,  I  think. 

"In  looking  over  the  early  reports  I  find  she  was 
a  systematic  and  generous  contributor,  a  yearly 
subscriber,  as  well  as  a  donator,  and  was  especially 
interested  in  the  Xmas  Festival,  when  the  chil 
dren  as  well  as  the  mothers  have  a  feast,  carrying 
away  presents.  I  find  every  year  that  special 
mention  is  made  of  her  efforts  to  carry  out  this 
Festival  successfully. 

"Indeed  I  am  impressed  with  the  fact  that  she  will 
be  sadly  missed  as  a  member  of  the  Board  and  friend 
of  the  poor." 

Mrs.  A.  J.  Dallas  Dixon  writes  to  me  that  she 
"was  with  your  sister  on  the  Board  of  the  Willing 
Day  Nursery  for  a  number  of  years.  She  was  a  most 
generous  and  interested  member  and  her  loss  has 
been  deeply  felt  by  us  all. " 

After  my  sister's  decease,  the  Board  of  the  Willing 
Day  Nursery  passed  the  following  resolutions, 
received  5  December,  1913: 


IN   MEMORIAM.  19 

"Minute. 

"Resolved:  That  the  members  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  Willing  Day  Nursery  have  heard 
with  profound  sorrow  of  the  death  of  Miss  Balch: 
for  many  years  a  dear  and  personal  friend  of  the 
members  of  the  Board,  and  an  earnest  and  efficient 
co-worker:  always  generously  contributing  to  its 
support,  and  wielding  an  influence  in  its  manage 
ment  that  has  been  helpful  to  each  member  of  the 
Board,  who  will  long  deplore  her  absence. 

"Resolved:  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be 
sent  to  the  family  of  Miss  Balch. 

"JEAN  GLASGOW, 

"Secretary." 

In  the  Secretary's  Report  of  the  Willing  Day 
Nursery,  January,  1914,  page  8,  Mrs.  Glasgow 
writes : 

"We  have  to  record  our  profound  sorrow  for  the 
loss  which  the  Nursery  has  sustained  in  the  death 
of  Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch,  for  twenty-three  years 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Managers;  a  warm  per 
sonal  friend  of  the  members  of  the  Board;  an 
earnest  and  efficient  co-worker  and  a  liberal  sup 
porter.  No  appeal  ever  passed  unheeded  by  her, 
and  her  influence  and  generosity  will  always  be 
held  in  grateful  remembrance. 

"  JEAN  GLASGOW, 

"Secretary." 


20  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Another  of  Miss  Balch's  fields  of  charitable  en 
deavors  was  the  Indians  Hope  Association.  Mrs. 
William  Moylan  Lansdale,  after  consulting  the 
Book  of  St.  Peter's  Parish,  Philadelphia,  writes  me 
that  St.  Peter's  Branch  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary 
to  the  Board  of  Missions  was  organized  in  December, 
1902,  and  that  my  sister  at  that  time  was  appointed 
a  member  of  a  committee  from  St.  Peter's  Parish 
to  represent  that  parish  at  the  monthly  meetings  of 
the  Indians  Hope  Association  in  the  Church  House. 

Mrs.  A.  J.  Dallas  Dixon  writes  to  me  that  my 
sister  "was  the  Treasurer  of  the  Indians  Hope 
Committee  of  the  St.  Peter's  Branch  of  the  Woman's 
Auxiliary,  of  which  I  was  President.  She  always 
had  most  interesting  reports  to  present  at  the 
meetings." 

After  Miss  Balch's  decease,  the  following  resolu 
tions  were  passed  by  the  President  and  Managers 
of  St.  Peter's  Branch  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary: 

"It  was  with  deep  sorrow  and  sincere  regret  that 
this  Branch  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary  to  the  Board 
of  Missions  learned,  in  June  last,  of  the  death  of  a 
valued  member — Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch. 

"For  many  years  past,  Miss  Balch  has  been  an 
interested  and  active  member  of  the  Indians  Hope 
Association — one  of  the  Committee  representing  St. 
Peter's  Parish  in  that  Association. 

"Filled  with  enthusiasm  for  the  cause  of  the 
oppressed  Indian,  she  labored  ardently  on  his  be- 


IN    MEMORIAM.  21 

half,  by  giving  generously  of  her  means,  towards 
the  support  of  mission  work  in  the  Indian  reserva 
tions,  and  also  of  her  thought  and  time. 

"She  was  thoroughly  earnest  in  her  appreciation 
of  the  beautiful  life  and  work  of  Bishop  Hare  and 
one  of  the  foremost  in  getting  up  the  memorial  to 
his  memory. 

"Miss  Balch  will  be  very  much  missed  at  the 
Monthly  Meetings  in  the  Church  House,  and  in  our 
work  for  the  Indians  in  this  parish. 

"We  offer  our  sincere  sympathy  to  Mrs.  Balch 
and  her  family  in  their  great  bereavement. 

"ELIZABETH  C.  B.  LANSDALE, 

"Secretary. 

"Sent  to  Mrs.  Balch  by  order  of  the  President 
and  Managers  of  St.  Peter's  Branch  of  the  Woman's 
Auxiliary. 

"Parish  House  of  St.  Peter's  Church 
"  12th  November,  1913." 

The  Morris  Refuge  Association  for  Homeless  and 
Suffering  Animals  appealed  strongly  to  my  sister, 
owing  especially  to  her  love  for  cats.  I  do  not 
know  when  she  joined  the  Association  but  Mrs. 
Thomas  L.  Elwyn,  the  present  Secretary,  informs 
me  that  the  records  of  the  President,  Mrs.  J.  Nor 
man  Jackson,  date  back  only  to  1889,  when  the 
Morris  Refuge  Association  became  an  independent 
institution,  and  that  Miss  Balch's  name  was  then 


22  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

on  the  report  as  Manager.  She  was  Recording 
Secretary  of  the  Morris  Refuge  in  1889  and  1890. 
She  was  appointed  Trustee  of  the  Endowment  Fund 
in  1899,  and  Mr.  George  Peirce  informs  me  that  my 
sister  was  the  originator  of  the  Endowment  Fund 
and  chose  him  as  Co-Trustee  when  it  was  started. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Morris  Refuge  Association 
held  10  November,  1913,  the  following  resolutions 
were  passed: 

"In  the  death  of  Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch  the 
Morris  Refuge  Association  has  suffered  an  irreparable 
loss. 

"  Connected  with  the  Society  almost  from  its 
inception,  an  unfailing  source  of  help  and  inspira 
tion,  she  instilled  into  all  her  colleagues  enthusiasm 
for  the  cause  she  had  so  much  at  heart. 

"A  Trustee  of  the  Endowment  Fund,  in  whose 
growth  she  was  an  important  factor,  she  always 
responded  with  open  hand  to  lesser  appeals  and  by 
her  ready  kindness  lightened  the  labors  and  bright 
ened  the  lives  of  those  whose  task  it  is  to  carry 
on  the  active  work  of  the  Refuge. 

"Resolved,  that  a  copy  of  this  should  be  sent 
to  her  bereaved  mother  and  family,  to  each  of  whom 
the  Board  tenders  its  deep  sympathy. 

"  NATALIE  J.  ELWYN, 

"Secretary. 
"  November  tenth,  1913." 


IN   MEMORIAM.  23 

In  the  Twenty-Sixth  Annual  Report  of  the  Morris 
Refuge  Association,  1913,  page  9,  the  President, 
Mrs.  J.  Norman  Jackson,  says: 

"It  is  with  deepest  feelings  of  grief  that  I  speak 
of  the  death  of  Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch,  which 
occurred  in  the  early  summer. 

"For  many  years  a  Manager  of  the  Morris  Ref 
uge  Ass'n,  and  at  one  time  its  Secretary,  Miss 
Balch  always  evinced  the  keenest  interest  in  its 
welfare  and  growth,  and  speaking  of  my  own  expe 
rience,  she  was  one  to  whom  I  often  turned  when 
honest  advice  was  needed,  and  never  did  I  call  on 
her  in  vain.  She  was  eager  and  ready  to  help  either 
by  her  counsel  which  was  invariably  just  and 
sound,  or  in  any  other  way  which  the  existing  state 
of  affairs  seemed  to  indicate  was  best. 

"The  Refuge  and  its  President  owe  to  her  a  debt 
of  gratitude  too  great  to  be  expressed  by  any  words. 

"Miss  Balch's  death  left  a  vacancy  not  only  in 
the  Board  of  Managers,  but  in  that  of  the  Trustees 
of  the  Endowment  Fund. 

"SOPHIA  L.  JACKSON, 

"President. " 

Miss  Balch  became  a  member,  on  6th  February, 
1900,  of  "The  Order  of  The  Descendants  of  Colonial 
Governors,  State  of  Pennsylvania "  in  right  of 
descent  from  three  of  her  ancestors,  Robert  Brooke, 
Acting-Governor  of  Maryland  in  1650,  Edward 


24  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Shippen,  Acting-Governor  of  Pennsylvania  in  1703, 
and  Major  Thomas  Brooke,  Acting-Governor  of 
Maryland  in  1720. 

Of  all  the  social  or  patriotic  organizations  to 
which  my  sister  belonged,  however,  the  one  in  which 
she  was  most  deeply  interested  and  the  one  for  which 
she  worked  hardest  was  the  Society  of  the  Colonial 
Dames  of  America.  She  was  one  of  the  earliest 
members  of  the  parent  New  York  Society,  which 
she  joined,  I  am  told,  on  June  6th,  1890.  Miss 
Katrine  Woolsey  Carmalt  very  kindly  examined  the 
New  York  records  for  me,  and  in  a  letter  dated 
28  January,  1914,  says:  "I  find  that  Miss  Balch's 
entrance  fees  were  deposited  in  the  bank  on  July  1st, 

1890.  So,  as  the  Society  was  founded  May  23rd, 
she  joined  as  one  of  the  very  first. " 

My  sister  was  instrumental  also  in  founding 
Chapter  II,  Philadelphia,  in  1891,  and  of  this  oc 
currence  Miss  Carmalt  writes  in  the  same  note: 
"In  the  letter  files  I  find  a  letter,  dated  April  3rd, 

1891,  from  Miss  Balch,  she  asks:    'Do  you  consider 
that  you  have  founded  a  chapter  here/  and  adds: 
'besides  Mrs.  Mason,  Mrs.  Lewis  and  me,  who  are 
already  members,  a  number  of  other  Philadelphians 
wished    to    join' — your  mother's  name  heads  the 
list."     Apparently  my  sister  became  Secretary  of 
the  Philadelphia  Chapter  at  its  inception,  for  Miss 
Carmalt  also  further  says:    "In  the  'Interrogatory' 
for  the  Supreme  Court,  I  see  that  a  letter  of  April 


IN   MEMORIAM.  25 

'91  is  quoted,  in  which  Miss  Balch  signs  as  Secretary 
of  the  Chapter  in  Phila. "  She  afterwards  relin 
quished  this  position,  which  she  again  accepted 
about  January,  1898,  and  which  she  continued  to 
hold  until  the  end  of  her  life. 

My  sister  was  for  many  years  Chairman  of  the 
Claims  Committee  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
Chapter  II,  Philadelphia.  When  she  was  appointed 
to  this  position  I  do  not  know,  but  it  may  have  been 
at  the  foundation  of  the  Chapter,  and  at  any 
rate,  it  was  before  the  year  1905,  since  at  the 
Board  Meeting  of  March  21,  1905,  she  was  unani 
mously  empowered  to  use  her  full  power  as  Chair 
man  of  the  Claims  Committee  in  adjusting  the 
eligibility  list  of  the  C.  D.  A.  at  the  coming  meeting 
of  the  Committee  on  Eligibility  of  the  C.  D.  A. 
Her  work  on  claims  was  very  laborious  and  took  up 
much  time,  but  her  great  knowledge  of  the  genealogy 
of  Pennsylvania  families  made  her  especially  suitable 
for  the  position. 

On  March  6,  1906,  the  Mayflower  Society  asked 
that  a  representative  of  Chapter  II,  C.  D.  A.,  be 
named  to  be  invited  to  the  Annual  Dinner  of  the 
Mayflower  Society.  The  Board  was  unanimous  in 
appointing  Miss  Balch  as  this  representative  and 
she  greatly  enjoyed  the  event. 

One  of  the  most  important  works  undertaken 
by  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America  was  the  erection 
of  the  Memorial  Gates  at  Jamestown,  Virginia,  in 


26  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

memory  of  the  earliest  English  colonial  settlement 
in  America.  I  am  not  certain  whether  my  sister 
suggested  "Memorial  Gates"  as  the  best  form  of 
memorial,  but  I  am  certain  that  it  was  her  unflagging 
interest,  her  continuous  energy,  and  her  unfailing 
perseverance,  which  brought  the  matter  to  a  success 
ful  finish  at  the  proper  time. 

On  March  17,  1906,  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Cheesman, 
Secretary  C.  D.  A.,  about  the  Jamestown  celebra 
tion,  was  read  to  the  Board.  Miss  Balch  was 
asked  to  ascertain  all  the  facts  about  the  celebration. 
On  May  17,  1906,  Miss  Balch  spoke  in  detail  to  the 
Board  of  the  work  to  be  done  at  Jamestown,  and 
was  then  appointed  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
to  act  with  the  Committee  in  New  York.  On 
November  20,  1906,  Miss  Balch  attended  the  Con 
ference  of  the  C.  D.  A.  in  New  York,  where  the 
Baltimore  Chapter  was  also  represented.  After  she 
had  told  of  her  correspondence  with  the  Society  for 
the  Preservation  of  Virginia  Antiquities  and  where 
and  how  "Memorial  Gates"  could  be  placed,  she  was 
requested  to  undertake  the  Chairmanship  of  the 
entire  Committee.  While  she  was  loyally  assisted 
by  the  other  members  of  the  Committee,  the  minutes 
lay  especial  stress  on  the  help  of  Mrs.  Paul  Dana. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1907,  the  Jamestown  cele 
bration  took  place.  The  Colonial  Dames  party 
sailed  up  the  James  River,  on  the  "U.  S.  S.  Yankton, " 
kindly  lent  to  them  for  the  occasion  by  Rear  Ad- 


IN   MEMORIAM.  27 

miral  Robley  D.  Evans,  U.  S.  N.  The  "  Memorial 
Gates "  were  presented  to  Jamestown  and  the 
Society  for  the  Preservation  of  Virginia  Antiquities 
by  my  sister  in  the  following  brief  address: 

"  There  are  many  men  and  many  places  of  which 
we  Americans  can  be  justly  proud.  Most  of  these 
places  are  of  local  interest,  but  some  of  them  are 
dear  to  the  whole  land,  because  we  feel  we  all  can 
claim  a  share  in  them.  One  of  them  is  the  island 
where  we  are  gathered  today,  for  just  as  Inde 
pendence  Hall,  in  the  Old  State  House  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  has  a  deep  interest  for  all  Americans,  so 
Jamestown  Island,  the  birthplace  of  the  Nation, 
has  the  double  glory  of  belonging  to  the  Old  Do 
minion  and  to  the  United  States,  and  we  are  truly 
glad  that  we  are  able  to  assemble  here  to  mark  our 
appreciation  of  all  that  has  followed  the  first  settle 
ment  on  these  shores  of  Virginia. 

"The  Colonial  Dames  of  America  empowered  our 
Committees  to  plan  and  build  ' Memorial  Gates' 
to  commemorate  the  Birth  of  the  American  Nation, 
and  we  have  endeavored  to  carry  out  the  trust  to 
the  best  of  our  abilities. 

"Surely  no  more  appropriate  motto  could  be 
chosen  than  our  own  'Colere  Coloniarum  Gloriam' 
which  you  will  find  interwoven  in  the  iron  fretwork 
surmounting  the  gates.  Our  Colonial  Dame  stands 
above  extending  a  greeting.  1607-1907  are  sig 
nificant  and  appropriate  dates,  and  the  stars  show 


28  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

that  we  have  not  forgotten  the  States  formed  from 
the  nine  Colonies. 

"Our  work  has  been  greatly  helped  by  the  sub 
stantial  aid  given  it,  not  only  by  our  Dames  nearby, 
but  also  by  our  Sisters  of  the  Pacific  Coast  and 
by  those  who  live  across  the  seas;  and  by  the  deep 
interest  taken  in  it  by  the  whole  Society. 

"We  are  glad  that  we  are  thus  able  to  show  to 
The  Association  for  the  Preservation  of  Virginia 
Antiquities,  the  Association  that  has  done  so  much 
to  preserve  and  beautify  this  historic  spot,  that  its 
purpose  is  recognized  and  that  we,  The  Colonial 
Dames  of  America,  are  proud  to  co-operate  with 
it  in  this  patriotic  work. 

"We  take  pleasure  in  handing  you  the  key 
to  these  'Memorial  Gates'  given  to  Jamestown 
and  to  The  Association  for  the  Preservation  of 
Virginia  Antiquities  by  The  Colonial  Dames  of 
America." 

My  sister  was  not  only  Chairman  of  the  James 
town  Celebration  Committee,  but  she  was  also 
Treasurer  of  the  "Memorial  Gates"  Fund.  A  small 
balance  from  this,  $56.58,  remained  over  and  by  a 
resolution  at  the  Board  Meeting  of  April  14,  1908, 
this  was  deposited  in  the  Philadelphia  Savings  Fund 
as  a  Memorial  Fund. 

In  the  Minutes  of  the  Board  meeting  of  February 
26,  1909,  my  sister  tells  of  receiving  a  letter  from 
Mrs.  Sutcliffe,  great-granddaughter  of  Robert  Ful- 


IN   MEMORIAM.  29 

ton,  asking  if  she  would  serve  on  a  Committee  of 
Colonial  Dames  to  collect  relics  for  the  coming 
Hudson-Fulton  celebration,  an  invitation  she  was 
obliged  to  decline,  as  the  celebration  was  to  take 
place  in  September. 

My  sister  also  was  the  prime  mover  and  active 
spirit  in  getting  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
Chapter  II,  to  present  the  Commander-in-Chief's 
Door  to  the  Washington  Memorial  Chapel  at  Valley 
Forge.  On  January  17,  1912,  she  broached  to  the 
Board  Meeting  the  suggestion  of  Mrs.  Edward  King, 
that  the  Colonial  Dames  erect  some  memorial 
at  the  Valley  Forge.  At  the  Board  Meeting  of 
February  1,  1912,  she  told  of  her  correspondence 
with  Mrs.  Cheesman  and  Mrs.  Sutcliffe  about  the 
matter,  and  it  was  then  decided  to  erect  inde 
pendently  the  inner  door  of  the  Chapel  and  my 
sister  was  appointed  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  erecting  the  door.  She  collected  all  the  funds 
for  it.  At  the  Board  Meeting  of  May  21,  1912, 
she  announced  that  she  had  already  received  $350, 
and  suggested  that  the  Memorial  Fund,  remaining 
over  from  the  Jamestown  Memorial  Gates  Fund, 
then  in  the  Philadelphia  Saving  Fund  and  amount 
ing  to  about  $60,  be  added  to  this.  This  suggestion 
was  agreed  to  and  she  then  donated  enough  herself 
to  increase  the  Fund  to  $450.  Eventually  she 
raised  $600,  the  final  $4  being  contributed  by  herself 
in  her  last  illness. 


30  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

The  Commander-in-Chief  's  Door  is  made  of  heavy 
oak,  deeply  panelled.  It  opens  out  from  the  Church 
into  the  Cloister  of  the  Colonies.  It  bears  the 
arms  of  the  thirteen  original  States  whose  soldiers 
formed  the  army  commanded  by  General  Washing 
ton  in  the  struggle  for  Independence.  The  four 
teenth  shield  bears  the  seal  of  the  Colonial  Dames 
of  America.  The  door  was  made  by  G.  Gerald 
Evans  and  the  wrought  iron  strap  hinges  by  Samuel 
Yellin.  On  the  door  is  the  following  inscription: 

"In  Gratitude  to  God  for  His 
Guidance  in  the  Election 

of 

George  Washington 
Commander-in-Chief 

of  the 

Continental  Forces 

This  Door  is  given  by 

The  Colonial  Dames  of  America 

Chapter  II,  Philadelphia." 

The  door  was  presented  on  May  21,  1913,  my 
sister's  presentation  address  being  read,  on  account 
of  her  illness,  by  my  brother  Willing.  The  door 
was  received  and  dedicated  by  the  Right  Reverend 
Thomas  J.  Garland,  Bishop  Suffragan  of  the  Diocese 
of  Pennsylvania.  After  the  services,  the  Colonial 
Dames  and  many  friends  were  entertained  at  an 
afternoon  tea  given  by  my  mother. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  31 

My  sister's  presentation  address  was  as  follows: 

"The  Bishop  Suffragan  of  Pennsylvania,  members 
of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen  : 

"Pennsylvania  has  to  her  credit  in  the  past  notable 
achievements  in  peace,  in  war,  in  learning  and  in 
commerce. 

"At  the  western  end  of  the  State  the  great  city 
of  Pittsburgh  now  stands  upon  the  site  where  Fort 
Du  Quesne  stood,  which  was  captured  in  1758  from 
the  French  by  the  expedition  under  General  John 
Forbes,  among  whose  officers  were  Colonel  Henry 
Bouquet,  Colonel  Joseph  Shippen  and  George  Wash 
ington.  The  success  of  that  expedition  was  one 
of  the  most  important  circumstances  that  insured 
the  spread  of  the  British  colonies  towards  the  west, 
and  caused  the  English  language  to  become  the 
dominating  tongue  of  North  America. 

"Here  at  the  eastern  end  of  our  Commonwealth, 
at  Valley  Forge,  a  still  greater  event  occurred.  For 
on  this  spot,  chosen  mainly  by  the  military  eye  of 
Anthony  Wayne,  our  fathers  held  watch  during 
the  bleak  winter  of  1777-1778,  along  the  banks  of 
the  Schuylkill.  But  it  was  due  to  the  fortitude, 
the  courage  and  the  inspired  common  sense  of 
George  Washington  that  the  army  of  the  Revolu 
tion  held  together,  and  that  the  War  of  Indepen 
dence  was  carried  successfully  through  its  darkest 
period. 


32  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

"  Today  on  behalf  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of 
America,  Chapter  II,  Philadelphia,  it  is  my  privilege 
and  pleasure,  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee,  to 
present  to  you  this  memorial  door  to  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  memory  of  the  soldiers  who,  gathered 
from  all  the  colonies  here  upon  Pennsylvania  ground, 
made  our  existence  as  a  nation  possible.  And  I 
herewith  present  to  the  Bishop  Suffragan  of  Penn 
sylvania,  the  Rector  and  the  Wardens  of  the  Wash 
ington  Memorial  Chapel,  this  door  to  be  dedicated 
in  memory  of  the  unanimous  election  on  June  15, 
1775,  by  the  Second  Continental  Congress  sitting 
in  Philadelphia,  of  George  Washington  as  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  of  the  Colonies. " 

Immediately  after  my  sister's  decease,  the  follow 
ing  resolutions  were  passed  by  the  Board  of  the 
Philadelphia  Chapter  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of 
America : 

"At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers 
of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America,  Chapter  II, 
called  on  June  30th,  1913,  at  the  residence  of  the 
President,  Mrs.  McClellan,  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
action  on  the  death  of  the  Secretary, 

"Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch 
"The  following  resolutions  were  adopted: 
"Resolved,  That  the  Board  is  overwhelmed  with 
the  suddenness  and  magnitude  of  the  calamity  that 
has  befallen  it  in  the  loss  of  so  true  and  loyal  a 


IN   MEMORIAM.  33 

friend  of  the  Society,  so  wise  and  able  a  counselor, 
and  one  so  faithful  and  untiring  in  all  that  concerned 
the  interests  of  the  Chapter  which  she  held  most 
warmly  at  heart. 

"Resolved,  That  her  cultivated  mind,  the  wide 
range  of  her  reading,  and  exact  knowledge  of  the 
history  of  her  country  made  her  peculiarly  fitted  for 
the  position  as  Chairman  of  the  Claims  Committee 
which  she  held,  as  well  as  the  office  of  Secretary. 

"Resolved,  That  her  death  comes  not  only  as  a 
personal  grief  to  the  members  of  the  Board,  who 
worked  with  her  and  learned  to  value  her  clear 
insight  and  excellent  judgment,  but  to  the  whole 
Chapter,  to  which  her  loss  is  irreparable. 

"Be  it  further  resolved,  That  these  Resolutions  be 
spread  upon  the  Minutes  of  the  Society,  and  a 
copy  of  them  be  sent  to  the  members  of  the  family, 
expressing  the  deep  sympathy  of  the  Board  in  their 

great  affliction. 

"S.  E.  GILPIN, 

' '  A  ssistant  Secretary . ' ' 

The  General  Society  of  The  Colonial  Dames  of 
America  passed  the  following  resolutions: 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  The 
Colonial  Dames  of  America,  held  on  November  14th 
at   18   East   8th   Street,   New  York   City,   formal 
resolutions  were  passed  on  the  death  of 
"Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch 
"Secretary  of  Chapter  II. 


34  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

"It  was  resolved,  that  the  whole  Society  of  The 
Colonial  Dames  of  America,  had  met  with  a  most 
overwhelming  loss,  in  the  taking  from  our  midst, 
one  who  was  so  faithful,  loyal  and  beloved.  The 
many  years  of  her  wise  counsel,  and  active  work, 
had  endeared  her  to  all  who  knew  and  worked  with 
her. 

"Her  judgment  was  always  in  demand,  for  it  was 
good.  To  the  members  of  Chapter  II,  the  Parent 
Society  extends  the  most  sincere  and  heartfelt 
sympathy.  It  is  asked  that  a  copy  of  this  be  sent 
to  the  family  of 

"MissBalch 

"that  they  may  know,  that  all  the  members  of  The 
Colonial  Dames  of  America  mourn  with  them  in 
their  affliction. 

"CARA  CROOKE  MACDONALD, 
" Secretary  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America." 

The  Paris  Chapter  of  the  Colonial  Dames  passed 
the  following  resolutions,  received  December,  1913: 

"Chapter  IV  of  Paris  desires  to  send  through  its 
Secretary,  the  most  heartfelt  expression  of  regret 
for  the  death  of 

"Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch 

"Secretary  of  the  Chapter  II  of  Philadelphia,  and 
not  only  to  her  own  Chapter,  but  to  the  whole 
Society  of  Colonial  Dames,  which  loses  in  her  one  of 
its  oldest  and  most  devoted  members. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  35 

"The  Chapter  IV  would  also  wish  to  extend  its 
sympathy  to  all  the  members  of  Miss  Balch's  family, 
for  so  irreparable  a  loss. 

"  MARGARET  T.  JOHNSTON, 
"Secretary  Chapter  IV  of  Paris. " 

In  the  Report  of  Chapter  II,  Philadelphia,  read 
at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of 
America,  New  York,  April  30,  1914,  the  Secretary, 
Miss  Gilpin,  wrote: 

******* 

"Last  spring,  the  ' Commander-in-Chief 's  Door' 
was  given  to  the  Washington  Memorial  Chapel  at 
Valley  Forge.  This  door  was  entirely  due  to  the 
labor  and  efforts  of  the  Secretary,  Miss  Elise  Willing 
Balch,  who  alas,  became  ill  and  was  unable  to  make 
the  presentation.  Not  long  after  that  the  Chapter 
was  overwhelmed  by  her  loss.  A  wise  and  able 
counselor,  her  clear  insight  and  excellent  judgment, 
her  cultivated  mind  and  exact  knowledge  of  the 
history  of  the  country,  and  her  untiring  and  faithful 
devotion  to  all  that  concerned  the  interest  of  the 

Society  made  her  loss  an  irreparable  one. 

******* 

"S.  ELIZABETH  GILPIN, 

Secretary. " 

The  Board  of  The  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
Chapter  II,  Philadelphia,  recognizing  the  impor- 


36  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

tance  of  the  work  done  by  my  sister  in  Colonial 
history  and  for  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
decided,  as  stated  in  Miss  Gilpin's  Annual  Report 
for  1916,  that  "it  is  eminently  fitting  that  a 
memorial  should  be  established  to  testify  to  the 
thorough  appreciation  of  the  Chapter  of  Miss  Balch's 
untiring  efforts  through  so  many  years  to  increase 
its  usefulness. "  To  carry  out  this  gracious  thought, 
the  Board  of  Managers,  on  the  14th  April,  1916, 
adopted  the  following  resolution:  "That  Chapter 
II,  Philadelphia,  award  a  medal  in  memory  of  Miss 
Elise  Willing  Balch,  so  long  our  able  and  efficient 
Secretary,  for  an  essay  on  a  Colonial  subject  written 
by  any  member  of  the  Society,  including  the  Juniors, 
to  be  given  at  the  discretion  of  the  Board. "  Mrs. 
McCall  and  Mrs.  Savage  were  appointed  as  the 
Committee  to  attend  to  this  matter. 

On  further  consideration,  it  was  decided  to  broaden 
the  field  of  workers  eligible  for  the  medal,  and 
this  was  done  by  resolution  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Managers,  on  the  2d  of  May,  1916.  There 
upon  Mrs.  Thomas  Balch  informed  the  Board  of 
Managers  that  she  would  present  the  medal — to  be 
made  of  gold — to  the  Society  and  also  endow  it. 
The  designing  and  executing  of  the  medal  were 
entrusted  to  Mr.  Adam  Pietz,  one  of  the  best 
medallists  of  Philadelphia,  and  during  the  summer 
of  1916  he  carried  out  this  commission  most  suc 
cessfully  and  produced  a  beautiful  work  of  art. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  37 

On  the  7th  of  December,  1916,  the  Board  of 
Managers  decided  to  extend  still  further  the  limits 
of  eligibility  of  recipients  of  the  medal  and  their 
final  decision  was  expressed  in  the  following  reso 
lution:  "That  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
Chapter  II,  Philadelphia,  award  a  medal  in  memory 
of  Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch  for  literary  or  other  work 
relating  to  Colonial  Times.  This  medal  to  be  given 
from  time  to  time  at  the  discretion  of  the  Board,  to 
any  member  of  the  Society,  or  to  any  outsider, 
whether  a  woman  or  a  man,  whose  wTork  seems  to 
the  Board  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  the 
giving  of  the  medal." 

On  the  16th  of  November,  1916,  the  Board  of 
Managers  awarded  the  first  gold  medal  to  Mr. 
Charles  Penrose  Keith  for  his  great  work  The 
Provincial  Councillors  of  Pennsylvania,  and  it  was 
formally  presented  to  him  at  a  meeting  of  the  Chapter 
held  on  the  21st  of  December,  1916. 


ELISE   WILLING   BALCH — IN   MEMORIAM.  39 

III. 

LITERATURE  AND  MUSIC. 

EDWARD  SHIPPEN.  PRINCE  DE  BROGLIE.  THE 
FRENCH  IN  AMERICA.  MELODY  CLUB.  MENDELS 
SOHN  CLUB.  CONCERTS.  BOSTON  SYMPHONY. 
GRAND  OPERA.  MUSICALES.  CONCERT  FOR  MORRIS 
REFUGE.  PHILADELPHIA  OPERATIC  SOCIETY. 

Miss  Balch  had  a  distinct  gift  of  writing,  and  it 
is  regrettable  that  she  did  not  devote  more  time  to 
it.  She  wrote  easily  most  interesting  letters,  of 
which  some  will  be  found  in  a  later  chapter  of  this 
book. 

Under  the  title  "  Edward  Shippen,"  she  wrote  a 
biography  of  Edward  Shippen,  the  emigrant  an 
cestor  of  the  Shippen  family  in  America,  and  the 
history  and  genealogy  of  his  descendants.  Edward 
Shippen  was  born  at  Methley,  Yorkshire,  England, 
in  1639.  He  emigrated  to  Boston  in  1668,  and 
came  to  Philadelphia  about  1693.  William  Penn 
named  him  in  the  Charter,  25  October,  1701,  as  the 
first  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia  under  the 
Charter,  and  from  May,  1703,  until  December, 
1703,  he  was  the  Acting-Governor  of  the  Colony. 
Miss  Balch's  history,  "  Edward  Shippen,"  was 
published  in  Charles  P.  Keith's  The  Provincial 
Councillors  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia,  1883, 
pages  46-141.  It  is  an  exceedingly  careful  and 


40  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

conscientious  historical-genealogical  record  which 
involved  a  great  amount  of  labor  and  research  and 
which  may  be  depended  on  for  its  accuracy. 

Miss  Balch  translated  from  the  original  French 
unpublished  manuscript  diary  the  Narrative  by  the 
Prince  de  Broglie  of  a  Visit  to  America,  1782,  and 
this  was  published  in  The  Magazine  of  American 
History,  New  York,  1877.  My  father  wrote  a  "  Pre 
liminary  Note"  to  this  Narrative,  giving  a  bio 
graphical  notice  of  the  life  of  the  Prince  de  Broglie. 
The  accuracy  of  this  notice  was  attacked  in  The 
Magazine  of  American  History,  New  York,  1879,  by 
a  critic  who  asserted  that  de  Broglie  was  not  a 
Prince  and  that  he  did  not  die  in  1804.  My  sister 
wrote  about  this  to  the  Fourth  Due  de  Broglie  in 
1885,  and  received  from  him  the  following  letter, 
which  was  published  in  The  Magazine  of  American 
History,  New  York,  April  1886,  page  407:— 

"Les  renseignements  donnes  par  Monsieur  votre 
Pere  au  sujet  de  ma  famille  sont  absotument  con- 
formes  a  la  verite. 

"Le  titre  de  Prince  du  Saint  Empire  Romain 
avait  ete  donne  par  Flmperatrice  Marie  Therese  au 
Marechal  de  Broglie  en  1759,  pour  etre  porte  par 
lui  et  par  tons  ses  descendants  males.  C'est  en  vertu 
de  cette  nomination  que  mon  grandpere,  Claude 
Victor  de  Broglie,  portait  ce  titre,  que  je  Fai  porte 
moi-meme  et  que  tous  mes  fils  le  prennent  au- 
jourd'hui. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  41 

"Le  Marechal  de  Broglie  est  bien  mort  en  1804, 
tres-peu  de  jours  apres  le  refus  qu'il  avait  fait  de  rent- 
rer  en  France,  sur  la  proposition  du  premier  Consul. 

"II  n'y  a  done  aucune  modification  a  faire  aux 
faits  affirmes  par  Monsieur  votre  Pere,  et  toute 
critique  a  cet  egard  est  depourvue  de  fondement. 

"  BROGLIE." 

My  sister  also  translated,  with  my  assistance, 
under  the  title  of  The  French  in  America  during  the 
War  of  Independence  of  the  United  States,  the  second 
volume  of  my  father's  book  Les  Frangais  en  Amerique 
pendant  la  Guerre  de  V Independence  des  Etats-Unis 
1777-1783.  This  was  printed  in  French  at  Paris 
in  1872,  but  never  published  because  after 
the  proofs  were  received  from  the  printer  Mr. 
Balch  obtained  a  large  amount  of  additional 
information  which  he  felt  obliged  to  add  to 
the  finished  manuscript.  He  inserted  this  in 
formation  in  the  shape  of  manuscript  notes 
on  the  French  proof  sheets  and  we  made  our 
translation  from  this  revised  copy.  Miss  Balch 
did  the  main  share  of  the  work,  both  in  trans 
lating  and  in  proofreading,  going  over  the 
entire  book  nine  times,  and  thanks  to  her  tireless 
energy,  it  is  the  most  accurate  piece  of  printer's 
work  I  have  ever  had  any  part  in  doing:  in  fact  I 
have  never  yet  found  a  misspelling  of  any  one  of 
the  thousands  of  names  mentioned  in  the  book. 


42  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

My  sister  was  devoted  to  music.  She  was  a  good 
piano  player  and  an  excellent  parlor  singer.  In 
Europe  she  was  thoroly  trained  in  playing  and  in 
singing  and  after  her  return  home  she  kept  up 
music  lessons  for  many  years.  Her  voice  was  a 
rather  high  mezzo  soprano,  and,  altho  not  strong, 
it  was  full  of  quality  and,  thanks  to  her  accurate 
ear  and  excellent  training,  she  always  sang  true. 
Her  knowledge  of  music  was  certainly  far  beyond 
that  of  most  amateurs,  and  of  her  musical  attain 
ments,  Mrs.  A.  J.  Dallas  Dixon  wrote  to  me  as 
follows:  "It  was  my  pleasure  to  have  played  with 
her  for  some  years  in  a  piano  quartet  at  Mrs.  J. 
Edgar  Thompson's  house.  We  all  enjoyed  it  so 
much  and  your  sister's  knowledge  of  the  Wagner 
scenes  was  a  great  help  to  us  all." 

She  belonged  at  different  times  to  various  musical 
clubs,  two  of  which  were  the  Melody  Club  and  the 
Mendelssohn  Club,  and  she  was  also  very  fond 
of  concerts  and  was  for  many  years  a  subscriber  to 
the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra. 

Miss  Balch  was  greatly  interested  in  the  musical 
life  of  Philadelphia,  and  for  many  years  was  actively 
engaged  in  furthering  its  development,  both  in 
grand  opera  and  in  concerts.  For  the  following 
notes  about  some  of  her  work,  I  am  largely  in 
debted  to  Mrs.  Edward  W.  Burt,  who  for  many 
years  was  a  co-worker  with  my  sister  in  musical 
matters. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  43 

In  March,  1896,  Mr.  Walter  Damrosch  gave 
German  opera  for  one  week  at  the  Academy  of 
Music.  At  this  time  Mr.  Damrosch's  business 
manager  spoke  to  Miss  Edith  L.  Hutchinson  (now 
Mrs.  Edward  W.  Burt)  about  the  possibilities  of  a 
local  opera  season  for  1896-1897.  She  advised  him 
to  discuss  the  matter  with  Miss  Balch  and  Mrs. 
W.  H.  H.  Robinson  (now  Mrs.  Herman  V.  Hil- 
precht),  as  both  these  ladies  were  deeply  interested 
in  German  opera.  Mr.  Damrosch  immediately 
called  on  Miss  Balch  and  went  over  the  matter 
fully  with  her,  and  from  one  of  her  little  diaries  this 
apparently  was  on  March  31st. 

Thereupon  Miss  Balch,  Miss  Hutchinson  and 
Mrs.  Robinson  organized  themselves  into  an  in 
formal  committee  to  seek  subscriptions  and  they 
persuaded  some  of  their  friends  to  aid  them  in  this 
work.  They  soon  obtained  promises  of  sufficient 
subscriptions  to  warrant  calling  a  meeting  be 
tween  Mr.  Damrosch  and  the  persons  most  in 
terested  in  the  project.  The  meeting  took  place  at 
the  Hotel  Lafayette,  and  it  was  decided  to  give 
twenty  performances  of  German,  Italian  and  French 
opera.  No  guarantee  was  required  beyond  securing 
a  subscription  amounting,  for  boxes  and  seats,  to 
forty  thousand  dollars.  The  prices  of  boxes  and 
seats  was  decided  upon,  a  general  subscription  was 
opened  at  once,  and  the  allottment  of  boxes  and 
seats  was  put  in  charge  of  Miss  Hutchinson.  The 


44  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

subscription  was  proceeded  with  successfully,  and, 
under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Damrosch,  in  1896- 
1897,  in  the  words  of  Mrs.  Burt  in  a  letter  to  me, 
"  began  the  first  of  the  regular  seasons  of  Grand 
Opera  in  Philadelphia,  which  have  continued  un 
interruptedly  ever  since,  and  have  become  so  im 
portant  a  factor  in  the  musical  life  of  this  city," 
a  statement  which  Mrs.  Burt  emphasizes  further  by 
saying  that  she  wishes  "to  make  it  quite  clear  that 
this  was  really  the  start  and  foundation  of  the 
Opera  Seasons  in  Philadelphia. "  The  season  opened 
with  "Lohengrin"  and  closed  with  "Tristan  and 
Isolde."  My  mother  was  one  of  the  original  box 
holders. 

The  great  success  of  the  first  season  of  grand 
opera  led  to  the  immediate  starting  of  another 
opera  season  for  the  next  year.  An  organization 
meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Thomas 
Balch,  1412,  Spruce  Street,  and  it  was  decided  that 
a  guarantee  fund  would  be  necessary.  A  Committee 
of  Guarantors  and  a  Committee  on  Subscriptions 
were  chosen,  and  of  the  latter  Miss  Balch  was  elected 
Chairman  and  Miss  Hutchinson  Secretary.  The 
German  performances  of  the  first  season  had  been 
most  satisfactory,  but  the  subscribers  wished  Mr. 
Damrosch  to  associate  with  himself  some  one  who 
would  give  special  attention  to  French  and  Italian 
operas.  Mr.  Damrosch  found  such  an  associate  in 
Mr.  C.  A.  Ellis,  of  Boston,  Manager  for  Madame 


IN   MEMORIAM.  45 

Melba,  and  thus  Melba  became  the  leading  prima 
donna  in  French  and  Italian  opera  for  the  season  of 
1897-1898.  The  season,  which  was  most  successful, 
opened  with  "Faust,"  and  closed  with  "The  Scarlet 
Letter." 

Mr.  Walter  Damrosch  wrote  me  the  following 
letter  about  my  sister's  helpfulness  to  him: 

"NEW  YORK  CITY,  March  4,  1915. 
"My  DEAR  MR.  BALCH: — I  have  received  your 
kind  letter  of  Feb.  25th  in  regard  to  your  sister. 
I  am  glad  to  know  that  you  are  writing  a  biography 
of  her  life.  Her  interest  in  music  and  in  the  develop 
ment  of  musical  taste  in  Philadelphia  was  very  great 
and  she  was  always  ready  to  give  of  her  time,  money 
and  influence  to  further  a  high  musical  ideal.  She 
was  one  of  the  most  active  of  the  little  band  to 
further  my  aims  regarding  German  Opera,  and  a 
very  large  share  of  such  success  as  it  had  was  due 
to  her  work  in  connection  with  it. 

"Very  sincerely  yours, 

"WALTER  DAMROSCH." 

In  1898-1899,  a  season  of  grand  opera  was  given 
under  the  management  of  Mr.  C.  A.  Ellis.  Miss 
Balch  was  again  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Subscriptions  and  Miss  Hutchinson  Secretary. 

In  1899-1900,  1900-1901,  1901-1902  and  1902- 
1903,  four  seasons  of  grand  opera  were  given  under 


46  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

the  management  of  Mr.  Maurice  Grau;  and  for 
all  of  these  Miss  Balch  was  Chairman  of  the  Com 
mittee  on  Subscriptions.  She  was  thus  Chairman  of 
this  Committee  from  1897  to  1903,  in  which  year 
she  resigned  from  the  Committee,  and  thereafter 
only  always  attended  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
Boxholders  which  was  held  each  spring. 

In  the  fall  of  1897,  Miss  Balch,  Miss  Hutchinson 
and  Mrs.  Robinson  organized  a  series  of  four  morn 
ing  Subscription  Musicales.  They  were  given  at 
the  Bellevue,  on  Mondays,  6th  and  20th  December, 
1897,  and  3d  and  17th  January,  1898,  and  were 
managed  by  Mr.  C.  L.  Graff.  They  were  most 
successful,  many  prominent  artists,  among  them  Mr. 
David  Bispham  and  Mr.  Selden  Miller,  taking  part. 

A  second  series  of  morning  Subscription  Musicales 
was  again  arranged  for  by  the  same  three  ladies  and, 
under  the  management  of  Mr.  C.  L.  Graff,  given  at 
the  Hotel  Stratford  on  Mondays,  5th  and  19th 
December,  1898,  and  2d  and  16th  January,  1899. 

A  third  series  of  morning  Subscription  Musicales 
was  given  at  the  Art  Club  in  1899-1900  and  was 
managed  directly  by  Miss  Balch,  Miss  Hutchinson 
and  Mrs.  Robinson. 

There  was  a  fourth  series  of  morning  Subscription 
Musicales  in  1900-1901,  and  this  was  also  managed 
directly  by  the  same  ladies. 

In  the  winter  of  1902,  Miss  Balch  organized  a 
concert  for  the  benefit  of  the  Morris  Refuge  Asso- 


IN   MEMORIAM.  47 

elation  for  Homeless  and  Suffering  Animals.  Al- 
tho  the  concert  was  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Board  of  Managers  of  the  Refuge,  yet  it  was  wholly 
due  to  the  initiative  and  the  efforts  of  my  sister. 
The  concert  was  given  at  the  Academy  of  Music  on 
the  9th  of  April,  1902,  and  was  most  successful, 
seventeen  hundred  dollars  being  cleared.  The  per 
formers  were  Messrs.  Hofmann,  Kreisler  and  Ger- 
ardy.  Miss  Elizabeth  Morris  herself,  the  founder 
of  the  Refuge,  through  the  insistence  of  Miss  Balch, 
sat  in  one  of  the  proscenium  boxes. 

Of  my  sister's  efforts  for  music  in  Philadelphia, 
Mrs.  Burt  writes  to  me  in  a  letter:  "I  know  that 
your  sister  was  a  great  lover  of  music  and  was  always 
most  generous,  both  with  time  and  money,  and  of 
great  assistance  to  all  good  musical  enterprises  for 
many  years,  and  she  deserves  to  be  remembered  for 
all  that  she  did  for  music. " 

My  sister  was  much  interested  in  the  attempts 
made  to  develop  local  grand  opera  in  Philadelphia. 
Mr.  John  Curtis,  formerly  president  of  the  Phila 
delphia  Operatic  Society  and  now  president  of  the 
Behrens  Opera  Club,  informs  me  that  my  sister  was 
a  regular  subscriber  to  the  Philadelphia  Operatic 
Society  from  its  inception.  She  joined  the  Phila 
delphia  Operatic  Society  as  an  Associate  Member 
on  20th  October,  1910,  according  to  the  records  of 
Mr.  William  J.  Parker,  Secretary  of  the  Society. 
She  was  most  enthusiastic  and  attended  all  the 


48  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

performances  she  was  able  to.     About  her  work, 
Mr.  Curtis  wrote  me  the  following  letter: 

"  PHILADELPHIA,  March  6,  1915. 

"DEAR  MR.  BALCH: 

"You  ask  me  in  your  letter  of  recent  date,  to 
give  you  information  concerning  your  late  sister, 
Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch's  connection  with  the 
Philadelphia  Operatic  Society.  To  this  I  might 
reply  that  she  was  an  associate  member,  in  other 
words,  one  who  gave  the  Society  her  support 
slightly  more  than  a  subscription  for  seats  for  all 
performances. 

"But  to  me  her  association  with  the  Society  meant 
much  more  than  this.  She  was  one  of  the  first  per 
sons  in  Philadelphia  to  recognize  my  intention  in 
organizing  the  Society  and  to  give  it  her  encourage 
ment  and  support.  This  was  not  expressed  merely 
in  her  subscriptions;  it  was  expressed  far  more  in 
her  ever  encouraging  letters  to  me.  When  after 
months  of  study  and  a  year  of  preparation  I 
succeeded  against  innumerable  obstacles  in  giving 
the  first  performance,  her  cheering  letter  was  one 
of  the  first  I  received.  Coming  from  one  who  was  a 
stranger  gave  it  greater  value  than  did  those  from 
well  wishing  friends,  and  similar  letters  which  I 
received  from  her  from  time  to  time  were  like  a 
buckler  to  me,  coming  as  they  did,  often  at  times 
when  the  task  I  had  set  for  myself  seemed  hopeless. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  49 

"I  organized  the  Society  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
giving  to  our  young  singers  an  education  in  opera, 
that  those  who  were  ambitious  to  enter  opera  pro 
fessionally  might  receive  the  necessary  training 
without  the  necessity  of  going  to  Europe  for  it.  No 
favoritism  was  to  be  shown,  but  an  equal  oppor 
tunity  afforded  to  all,  and  neither  Mr.  Behrens 
nor  I,  nor  any  of  our  singers  received  any  com 
pensation  for  our  work.  It  was,  I  believe,  this 
altruism,  together  with  the  artistry  of  our  per 
formances  under  the  masterly  direction  of  Mr. 
Behrens  that  appealed  to  Miss  Balch  and  made 
her  one  of  our  most  valued  friends. 

"The  last  letter  I  received  from  her  was  written 
just  before  she  departed  for  the  country  on  what 
proved  to  be  her  last  trip  from  her  Spruce  Street 
home.  In  it  she  expressed  a  desire  that  the  Society 
produce  Boieldieu's  'La  Dame  Blanche/  and  I  had 
already  started  inquiries  as  to  scores,  etc.,  with  the 
intention  of  producing  it  the  following  season  when 
I  received  news  of  her  death. 

"Miss  Balch  I  believe  did  more  to  encourage 
musical  enterprise  in  Philadelphia  in  her  gentle 
way  than  have  many  others  whose  names  have  ap 
peared  more  prominently  in  print.  It  was  always 
evident  that  she  was  actuated  by  a  gracious,  kindly 
desire  to  help  when  convinced  of  sincerity  of  motive, 
and  she  was  one  of  four  persons  who  did  more  to 
aid  me  in  my  efforts  than  all  others  combined,  and 


50  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

of  these  four  not  one  now  remains.  Her  loss  will  be 
felt  in  the  future,  as  it  has  already  been  felt,  by  the 
world  of  music,  and — may  I  hope  that  you  will  not 
consider  me  presuming  in  saying  that  it  has  been 
most  keenly  felt  by  me. 

"Very  sincerely  yours, 

"JOHN  CURTIS." 


IN    MEMORIAM.  51 


IV. 

TRAVELS. 

JOURNEYS  TO  EUROPE  IN  1886,  1887,  1889, 
1890,  1891,  1894,  1895,  1896,  1897,  1899,  1901, 

1902;     AND     TO    THE     PACIFIC     COAST    IN     1900. 

My  sister  was  very  fond  of  traveling,  and  I  wish 
to  say  most  emphatically  that  she  was  the  best 
traveler  I  ever  knew.  On  her  longer  tours  she 
took  the  minimum  of  baggage,  a  small  trunk  and  a 
little  handbag.  She  was  always  ready  on  time, 
she  was  always  cheerful,  she  always  made  the  best 
of  things  and  was  willing  to  put  up  with  such  hotel 
accommodations  and  such  food  as  could  be  ob 
tained,  and  in  some  cases  these  were  far  from  good. 
But  she  was  always  happy  and  cheery  in  rain  or 
sunshine,  in  good  quarters  or  in  poor. 

She  went  thirteen  times  to  Europe,  and  once  to 
the  Pacific  coast.  Of  her  first  long  stay  in  Europe 
she  kept  no  detailed  account.  Of  her  second  trip  to 
Europe,  there  fortunately  remain  most  of  the  letters 
she  wrote  to  her  mother  from  Norway,  Sweden  and 
Russia.  On  all  her  other  long  journeys,  she  jotted 
down  day  by  day  her  itineraries  in  little  pocket 
diaries,  and  I  am  republishing  these  diaries  almost 
verbatim,  because  her  travels  played  such  a  large 
part  in  her  life. 


52  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

1886. 

Sat.,  15  May.  Sailed  with  Ed.  on  Cunard 
R.  M.  S.  Aurania  at  3  P.  M. 

Sat.,  22  May.  Sighted  land,  6.30  P.  M.  Fastnet, 
9.15  P.  M. 

Sun.,  23  May.  Queenstown,  12.30  A.  M.  Liver 
pool,  4.30  P.  M.  Landed,  6.30. 

Mon.,  24  May.  Left  Liverpool  at  12  M.  Ar 
rived  Lichfield,  2.10  P.  M.  Visited  the  lovely 
Cathedral,  and  St.  Chads'  Church  and  Well.  Good 
meal  at  the  Swan.  Arrived  London  at  10.35  P.  M. 

Tues.,  25  May.  To  the  Royal  Academy,  Dore, 
Hunt  and  Long  Collections.  Drove  in  Hyde  Park. 
Dined  Criterion. 

Wed.,  26  May.  To  bankers.  Did  some  shopping. 
Left  for  Paris  at  8  P.  M. 

Thurs.,  27  May.    Arrived  Paris,  5.05  A.  M. 

Fri.,  28  May.  To  the  Comedie  Frangaise.  "Cha- 
millac"  par  Octave  Feuillet. 

Sat.,  29  May.  Drive  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 
To  the  Odeon  "La  Vie  de  Boheme"  par  Murger. 

Sun.,  30  May.  To  the  English  Church.  In  the 
evening,  Fete  des  Tuileries. 

Mon.,  31  May.     Paid  some  visits. 

Tues.,  1  June.     Left  Paris  at  8.40  P.  M. 

Wed.,  2  June.  Arrived  Bale,  6.30  A.  M.  Hotel 
des  Trois  Rois. 

Thurs.,  3  June.  Ascension  Day  service  in  Bale 
Cathedral  at  3  P.  M. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  53 

Fri.,  4  June.  Musee  de  Bale.  Left,  2.05  P.  M. 
Through  Val  Moutier:  most  beautiful.  Arrived 
Thun,  9.30  P.  M.  Hotel  BeUevue. 

Sun.,  6  June.  Thun.  To  church  at  10.30.  Played 
harmonium.  To  Schloss  Schadau. 

Thurs.,  10  June.  Several  days  of  rain.  All  we  did 
was  a  little  walking. 

Fri.,  11  June.  Left  Thun,  3.30  P.  M.  Arrived 
Interlaken,  5.50  P.  M.  Hotel  Belvedere. 

Sat.,  12  June.  Drove  to  Grindelwald  and  back. 
Visited  the  glaciers  and  had  a  capital  dinner  for  a 
place  so  far  away  early  in  the  season. 

Tues.,  15  June.  Walked  to  Boningen  on  Lake  of 
Brienz. 

Wed.,  16  June.  Spent  afternoon  at  Schloss 
Unspunnen.  Glorious  view  of  Jungfrau,  Monch  and 
Eiger. 

Thurs.,  17  June.  Walked  about  curious  old  village 
of  Unterseen. 

Fri.,  18  June.  Left  Interlaken,  1.15.  By  steamer 
across  Lake  of  Brienz;  then  a  lovely  drive  to 
Meiringen,  where  we  arrived  at  4.15  and  walked 
round  the  village. 

Sat.,  19  June.  Hotel  du  Sauvage.  Rain.  Took  a 
walk. 

Sun.,  20  June.  To  church  at  11  A.  M.  In  the 
afternoon  walked  to  Finsteraarschlucht  with 
Major  and  Mrs.  Hammond,  very  nice  English  people. 

Mon.,  21  June.     Rain. 


54  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Tues.,  22  June.  Left  Meiringen,  2  P.  M.  Im  Hof. 
Im  Boden.  Arrived  Guttannen,  5.30  P.  M.  Hotel 
de  FOurs. 

Wed.,  23  June.  Left  Guttannen  on  foot,  9.30 
A.  M.  Arrived  at  the  fine  Handeck  Falls  at  11.30. 
Good  dinner.  Left  1.25.  Arrived  Grimsel  Hospice 
at  3.30.  Cold. 

Thurs.,  24  June.  Grimsel  Hospice.  Glorious  day 
with  a  magnificent  sunset.  Fine  views  of 
Finsteraarhorn . 

Sat.,  26  June.  Left  Grimsel  Hospice  at  6.15  A.  M. 
Crossed  Grimsel  Pass  with  superb  views  of  snow 
mountains,  Schreckhorn,  etc.  Arrived  at  Rhone 
Glacier  at  8.45.  Stopped  at  Hotel  Belvedere. 

Sun.,  27  June.  Hotel  Belvedere:  fine  day.  The 
view  of  the  Rhone  Glacier  is  magnificent.  Walked 
across  Furka  Pass,  2300  meters  high. 

Mon.,  28  June.  Belvedere.  Walked  along  Furka 
Pass  to  see  Glacier  from  below. 

Tues.,  29  June.  Left  Belvedere  at  9.15.  Walked 
to  Rhone  Glacier  Hotel,  11.30.  Lunched  there. 
Then  drove  to  Brieg  and  train  to  Visp.  Hotel  des 
Alpes. 

Wed.,  30  June.  Visp  is  a  quaint  old  town.  Left 
at  2.15  P.  M.  Arrived  Stalden,  4.  Left,  4.15.  Ar 
rived  St.  Niklaus,  6.45.  Fine  walk  and  day.  Grand 
Hotel. 

Thurs.,  1  July.  St.  Niklaus.  Superb  day:  fine 
sunset. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  55 

Fri.,  2  July.  Left  St.  Niklaus,  2  P.  M.,  in  a 
carriage.  Arrived  Zermatt,  6.15.  Pouring  rain. 
Hotel  Mont  Cervin. 

Sat.,  3  July.  Saw  Matterhorn,  for  the  first  time, 
at  4  A.  M.  The  sunlight  tipped  it  pink,  and  then 
came  down  it,  changing  to  yellow. 

Sun.,  4  July.  Went  to  church  at  10.30  A.  M.  and 
4.30  P.  M.  Took  walks  before  and  after  dinner. 

Mon.,  5  July.  Left  Zermatt  at  2.15  P.  M.  Arrived 
Riffel  Alp,  4.45.  Riffelhaus,  6.15.  E.  fainted  on 
way.  Glorious  sunset. 

Tues.,  6  July.  Riffelhaus.  Superb  sunrise  and 
sunset. 

Wed.,  7  July.  Riffelhaus.  Started  for  Corner 
Grat,  3  A.  M.  Arrived,  5.15.  Sunrise  and  view 
superb.  In  the  afternoon,  thunderstorms. 

Thurs.,  8  July.  Riffelhaus.  Rainy.  Fine  cloud 
effects. 

Fri.,  9  July.     Riffelhaus.     Rain. 

Sat.,  10  July.  Clearer  weather.  Walked  to 
Rothes  Kummen.  Fine  views. 

Sun.,  11  July.     Riffelhaus.     Very  cold. 

Mon.,  12  July.  Heavenly  day;  superb  sunrise. 
Started  3.15  P.  M.  Arrived  Zermatt,  5  P.  M. 

Tues.,  13  July.  Zermatt.  Started,  7.15  A.  M. 
Arrived  Staffelalp,  10.30.  Visited  Gorges  du  Gorner 
on  way  back. 

Wed.,  14  July.  Zermatt.  E.  went  up  Rympfish- 
horn. 


56  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Thurs.,  15  July.  Zermatt.  Went  to  see  Mr. 
Loppe's  pictures. 

Fri.,  16  July.  Left  Zermatt  at  7  A.  M.  Arrived 
St.  Niklaus,  9.  45.  Left,  10  A.  M.  Arrived  Stalden, 
12  M.  Hotel  Stalden. 

Sat.,  17  July.  Walked  to  bridge  of  Stalden.  Left 
Stalden,  2.  P.  M.  Left  Visp,  4.20.  Arrived  Veytaux- 
Chillon,  8.34  P.  M. 

Sun.,  18  July.  Chillon.  Hotel  Bonivard.  Went 
to  church.  Visited  Chateau  Chillon. 

Tues,  20  July.    Chillon.    Row  on  lake  in  evening. 

Thurs.,  22  July.  Chillon.  Went  up  to  Glion  by 
Funiculaire. 

Fri.,  23  July.  Left  Chillon,  8.33  A.M.  Arrived  Fri- 
bourg,  12.15.  Heard  organ  play  at  1.30  and  8  o'clock. 
Visited  Musee  Marcello.  Walked  through  town. 

Sat.,  24  July.  Walked  around  town  of  Fribourg. 
Left,  3.45  P.  M.  Arrived  Berne,  4.45.  Left  Berne, 
6P.M. 

Sun.,  25  July.  Arrived  Reims,  6.15  A.  M.  Hotel 
du  Lion  d'Or.  Visited  the  beautiful  Cathedral. 
Also  Eglise  St.  Remi.  Left,  1.35  P.  M.  Arrived 
Amiens,  7.15  P.  M.  Hotel  du  Rhin. 

Mon.,  26  July.  Amiens.  Cathedral  beautiful, 
outside  and  inside:  glorious  wood  carving.  Took  a 
walk  and  visited  the  Musee.  Left  at  10  P.  M. 

Tues.,  27  July.  Arrived  Canterbury,  8.45  A.  M. 
Royal  Fountain  Hotel.  Cathedral  beautiful.  Also 
visited  St.  Martin,  Mother  Church  of  England. 


IN  MEMORIAM.  57 

Wed.,  28  July.  Left  Canterbury,  9  A.  M.  Ar 
rived  London,  11  A.  M.  Bailey's  Hotel,  Kensington. 
Did  some  shopping. 

Thurs.,  29  July.  London.  To  Colindries  [Col 
onial  and  Indian  Exhibition]. 

Fri.,  30  July.  Left  London,  9  A.  M.  Arrived 
Birkenhead,  3  P.  M.  Went  to  a  tennis  party  at 
Mrs.  Dule's.  Spent  night  at  the  Spences. 

Sat.,  31  July.  Left  Liverpool,  3  P.  M.,  in  tender. 
Sailed,  7  P.  M.  Fine  day. 

Sun.,  1  Aug.  Arrived  Queenstown,  10  A.  M. 
Sailed,  2  P.  M.  Rainy. 

Sat.,  7  Aug.  Anchored  off  Sandy  Hook  at  8.15 
P.M. 

Sun.,  8  Aug.  Quarantine,  3  A.  M.  New  York, 
8  A.  M.  Left,  9  A.  M.  Home,  11.30  A.  M. 

1887. 

Sat.,  25  June.  Sailed  with  W.  from  New  York 
on  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Etruria,  8  A.  M. 

Tues.,  28  June.  440  miles.  Am  reading  Godet's 
"  Studies  in  the  Old  Testament  and  New  Testa 
ment";  Juke's  "Law  of  Offerings"  and  " Types  in 
Genesis";  and  Milligen's  " Apocalypse." 

Fri.,   1  July.     450  miles.     Arrived  Queenstown, 

11  P.  M. 

Sat.,  2  July.  Arrived  Liverpool,  3  P.  M.  Left  in 
special  on  Midland,  6.30  P.  M.  Arrived  St.  Albans, 

12  midnight. 


58  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

Sun.,  3  July.  St.  Albans.  Pea  Hen  Inn.  Visited 
the  Abbey.  Went  to  service  there  at  11  A.  M.  and 
3  P.  M.  Also  drove  to  Gorhambury,  the  Earl  of 
Verulam's  place;  very  fine. 

Mon.,  4  July.  To  London  by  10  A.  M.  train. 
Saw  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Cricket  Match  at 
Lord's.  Visited  Westminster  Abbey  and  drove  in 
Hyde  Park.  Saw  the  King  of  Denmark.  Left  at 
8.05  P.  M. 

Tues.,  5  July.  Arrived  Cologne,  11.35  A.  M. 
Hotel  du  Nord.  Visited  the  Cathedral  and  saw  the 
bridge.  Left  at  8.35  P.  M. 

Wed.,  6  July.  Arrived  Dresden,  11.20  A.  M. 
Hotel  Bellevue.  Went  to  bankers.  Then  to  see  Dr. 
Emil  Peschel,  at  the  Kornermuseum,  No.  4,  Kor- 
nerstrasse. 

Thurs.,  7  July.  W.  had  his  first  lesson  in  German 
with  Dr.  Peschel,  whom  he  likes  very  much. 

Fri.,  19  Aug.  Dresden.  Have  been  nearly  six 
weeks  in  Dresden.  W.  has  studied  German  every 
day  with  Dr.  Peschel.  We  have  been  a  num 
ber  of  times  to  the  theatre  and  opera  and  seen 
among  other  pieces,  "Ein  Grasstadter,"  "Der 
Myvogel,"  "Der  Zugvogel,"  "Ehegliick,"  "Der 
Freischiitz,"  " Patience/7  "Mikado,"  "Goldfische," 
"Les  Huguenots,"  "Die  Zauberflote,"  "Lohen 
grin,"  "Die  Judin."  Visited  the  picture  gallery 
repeatedly.  Also  went  to  the  Grimes  Gewolbe;  to 
Moritzburg,  where  we  saw  the  deer  and  boar  fed; 


IN    MEMORIAM.  59 

to  Meissen,  where  we  saw  the  porcelain  manu 
factory;  to  Konigstein;  to  Bautzen,  where  we  saw 
the  Castle  and  drove  to  Kleine  Melka  to  see  the 
Moravians.  Also  to  other  places  in  the  neighbor 
hood.  On  30  and  31  July,  W.  went  on  a  walk  in 
Saxon  Switzerland  with  Dr.  Peschel. 

Sat.,  20  Aug.  Left  for  Prag,  4.20  P.  M.  Arrived, 
10.30.  Hotel  Victoria  very  good.  Saw  Saxon 
Switzerland  and  Schloss  Schrenstein  en  route. 

Sun.,  21  Aug.  Prag.  Visited  Teyn  Kirche, 
Jiidenstadt,  Hadreschin,  Monastery  of  Emaus, 
Waldstein  Palace.  Left,  3.16  P.  M.  Arrived 
Dresden,  6.57  P.  M. 

Wed.,  24  Aug.  Dresden.  Have  visited  the 
Rietschel  Museum,  and  been  to  the  theatre  to  see 
"Die  Rauber,"  "Die  Konigin  von  Saba"  and 
"DieFrauohneGeist." 

Thurs.,  25  Aug.  Left  Dresden,  2.25  P.  M. 
Arrived  Weimar,  8.55  P.  M.  Hotel  zum  Russischen 
Hof,  very  good. 

FrL,  26  Aug.  Weimar.  Visited  Schiller  Haus, 
Goethe  Haus.  Palace  of  Anna  Amelia  (widows 
Palace).  Bibliothek.  Graves  of  Schiller  and 
Goethe.  Left,  5.14  P.  M.  Arrived  Eisenach,  7.40 
P.  M. 

Sat.,  27  Aug.  Eisenach,  Halben  Mond.  Went 
to  Wartburg,  Annathal,  Drachenschlucht,  Wil- 
helmsthal,  Hohe  Sonne,  Drachenstein,  Marien- 
blick. 


60  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Sun.,  28  Aug.  Left  Eisenach,  11.30.  Arrived 
Frankfort,  4.  Drove  past  Goethe  Haus  and  Guten 
berg  Statue.  Arrived  Wiesbaden  evening. 

Mon.,  29  Aug.  Wiesbaden.  Nassauerhof.  Drove 
about  Wiesbaden,  then  to  Platte,  Neroberg,  and 
Griechische  Kapelle. 

Tues.,  30  Aug.  Left  Wiesbaden,  8.20  A.  M. 
Drove  to  Biebrich.  Left,  9.20.  Arrived  Coblentz, 
1.30.  Drove  to  Ehrenbreitstein.  Left,  5.30.  Ar 
rived  Koln,  10.30  P.  M. 

Wed.,  31  Aug.  Cologne.  Hotel  du  Nord.  Left, 
1.13  P.  M.  on  sleeping  car. 

Thurs.,  1  Sept.  Arrived  Calais,  1.14  A.  M. 
Rough  crossing.  Arrived  London,  6.20  A.  M. 
Hotel  Metropole.  Shopped.  Left,  3.30  P.  M. 
from  Paddington.  Arrived  Stratford  on  Avon,  7.14 
P.  M. 

FrL,  2  Sept.  Stratford.  Red  Horse  Inn.  Saw 
Shakespeare's  house.  Left,  11  A.  M.  Arrived 
Liverpool  via  Birkenhead,  5.30  P.  M. 

Sat.,  3  Sept.  Sailed  at  10  A.  M.  on  Etruria. 
Fine  day. 

Sun.,  4  Sept.  Queenstown.  Landed  and  took  a 
walk  with  W. 

Wed.,  7  Sept.  426  miles.  Rainy.  Am  reading 
"L'homme  de  Neige." 

Sun.,  11  Sept.  Landed  New  York,  3.  P.  M. 
Arrived  home,  6.30. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  61 

1889. 

Sat.,  22  June.  Sailed  for  Europe  with  Willing 
at  1.30  P.  M.  on  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Etruria. 

Sun.,  June  30.  Arrived  Liverpool,  10.30  A.  M. 
By  special  to  London,  Euston  6  P.  M.  To  Gros- 
venor  Hotel,  where  we  found  Ed. 

Tues.,  3  July.  Dined  at  Hotel  Victoria  with 
Mr.  Leeds,  Mr.  &  Mrs.  Scull,  Mr.  Mather,  M.  P. 
and  Mr.  Gilead  Smith. 

Thurs.,  4  July.  To  House  of  Commons.  Four 
o'clock  tea.  Messrs.  Gladstone,  Labouchere,  Brad- 
laugh  and  Smith  spoke. 

Fri.,  5  July.  Four  o'clock  tea  at  National  Club. 
At  10.30  to  Lady  Goldsmid's  Musicale:  good 
music:  people  funny. 

Sat.,  6  July.     Lizzie  Balch  dined  with  us. 

Sun.,  7  July.  To  luncheon  with  Archdeacon 
Farrar. 

Mon.,  8  July.  To  Oxford.  Lunched  with  Vernon 
Har courts.  Went  round  Oxford. 

Tues.,  9  July.  Went  to  some  of  the  colleges 
with  Mr.  Vernon  Harcourt,  who  lunched  with  us. 
Went  to  see  some  tennis  in  afternoon. 

Wed.,  10  July.  To  Christ  Ch.  Cathedral  in 
morning.  Called  on  Harcourts.  Rain. 

Thurs.,  11  July.  Left  Oxford,  11  o'clock.  Ar 
rived  Leamington,  12.10.  Drove  to  Kenilworth  and 
Warwick.  Left  Leamington,  6.25  P.  M.  Arrived 
Lichfield,  8.30. 


62  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Fri.,  12  July.  Lichfield.  Afternoon  service  at 
Cathedral  at  4  P.  M. 

Sat.,  13  July.  To  Liverpool.  Sailed  on  Cunard 
S.  S.  Aurania  at  7.30  P.  M. 

Mon.,  22  July.  Arrived  Sandy  Hook,  7.15  A.  M. 
New  York,  10  o'clock.  To  Philadelphia. 

1890. 

Sat.,  5  July.  Sailed  for  Europe  on  Cunard 
R.  M.  S.  Umbria. 

Sat.,  12  July.    Arrived  Liverpool,  8  P.  M. 

Sun.,  13  July.  Liverpool.  Drive  through  Princes' 
and  Sefton  Parks,  Mosely,  Wilton  and  Childwell. 
Childwell  Abbey  now  a  hotel. 

Mon.,  14  July.  Liverpool  to  Sheffield.  Walked 
through  town. 

Tues.,  15  July.  Sheffield.  To  a  cricket  match. 
After  lunch  to  St.  Peter's  Church  and  Weston  Park 
Museum. 

Wed.,  16  July.  Sheffield  to  London.  Drove  about 
and  visited  Stanley  and  African  exhibition. 

Thurs.,  17  July.  London  to  Canterbury.  Went 
to  St.  Martin's  Church. 

Fri.,  18  July.  Canterbury  to  Paris.  Good 
crossing,  one  hour  ten  minutes. 

Sat.,  19  July.  Paris.  Shopped.  Took  walk  in 
evening  and  saw  statues  of  Gambetta  and  Strasburg 
covered  with  flowers. 

Sun.,  20  July.    Paris.    To  Oratoire:  service  over. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  63 

To  Ste.  Marie,  where  heard  Mr.  Monod:  good  ser 
mon.  To  the  Invalides  and  drive  in  Bois. 

Mon.,  21  July.  Paris  to  Dijon.  Pleasant  trip. 
Took  a  walk,  saw  statue  of  F.  Rude,  Porte  Guyot, 
and  two  old  churches. 

Tues.,  22  July.  Saw  tombs  of  Dukes  of  Burgundy 
and  Puits  de  Moise.  In  afternoon  to  Geneva. 

Wed.,  23  July.  Geneva.  Walked  about.  To 
Cathedral,  Chapelle  des  Maccabees,  Monuments, 
Panorama  du  Mont  Blanc. 

Thurs.,  24  July.  Geneva  to  Cluses.  Lunched. 
Drove  to  Chamonix:  fine  day,  superb  views. 

Fri.,  25  July.  Chamonix.  Walked  up  Flegere: 
glorious  view.  Blistered  my  heel. 

Sat.,  26  July.  W.  went  up  Montanvert,  across 
Mer  de  Glace,  and  over  Mauvais  Pas  to  Chapeau. 
I  staid  quiet. 

Sun.,  27  July.  Chamonix.  Superb  day.  Went  to 
church,  good  sermon.  In  evening  lovely  Alpengluhn 
on  Mont  Blanc  and  moonrise  over  Mont  Maudit. 

Mon.,  28  July.  Heavenly  day.  W.  went  up 
Brevent.  I  staid  quiet. 

Tues.,  29  July.  Left  Chamonix,  8  o'clock.  On 
Chatelard,  11.  Left,  1.10;  arrived  Vernayaz,  5. 
Beautiful  and  wild  drive. 

Wed.,  30  July.  Vernayaz  via  Stalden  to  St. 
Nicolas. 

Thurs.,  31  July.  St.  Nicolas  to  Zermatt.  W.  went 
up  to  Eiffel.  Fine  views. 


64  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Fri.,  1  Aug.  W.  returned  from  Riff  el.  Went  to 
see  Relief  of  Zermatt  and  Mr.  Loppe's  pictures. 

Sat.,  2  Aug.  W.  went  with  C.  Judson  to  Staff  el 
Alp  and  Schwarzsee.  Rain  and  thunder  during  night. 

Sun.,  3  Aug.     To  church. 

Mon.,  4  Aug.  Poured  and  snowed.  W.  went  up 
to  Riffelalp. 

Tues.,  5  Aug.  Rain  in  morning.  At  2  left  Zermatt 
and  went  to  Riffelalp. 

Wed.,  6  Aug.  to  Thurs.,  14  Aug.  Stayed  at 
Riffelalp.  Walked  much  in  the  woods,  towards 
Findelen  Glacier,  once  to  Schwarzsee.  On  12  Aug. 
W.  went  up  Mettelhorn. 

Fri.,  15  Aug.  Left  Riffelalp,  8  A.  M.,  walked  to 
Zermatt,  drove  to  St.  Nicolas,  walked  to  Stalden, 
train  to  Visp  and  Brieg. 

Sat.,  16  Aug.    Drove  to  Simplon:  very  fine  drive. 

Sun.,  17  Aug.  Walked  through  Gorge  de  Gondo: 
then  drove  back  to  Brieg. 

Mon.,  18  Aug.  Left  Brieg,  7.30.  Drove  to  Morel, 
thence  walked  to  Riederalp,  1  P.  M.  Superb  views. 

Tues.,  19  Aug.  Riederalp.  W.  came  over  from 
Belalp  and  went  up  Eggishorn. 

Wed.,  20  Aug.  To  Eggishorn:  fine  view  of 
Weisshorn,  etc. 

Thurs.,  21  Aug.    Eggishorn  wrapped  in  clouds. 

Fri.,  22  Aug.  To  Marjelen  See  and  back:  walked 
on  glacier:  fine  view  of  Oberaarhorn,  Matterhorn, 
Weisshorn,  etc. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  65 

Sat.,  23  Aug.  Walked  from  Eggishorn  to  Viesch, 
then  drove  to  Furka:  fine  in  morning,  rain  in 
afternoon. 

Sun.,  24  Aug.  Drove  from  Hotel  Furka  to 
Goschenen:  rain. 

Mon.,  25  Aug.    From  Goschenen  to  Lucerne:  rain. 

Tues.,  26  Aug.  Left  on  9.10  boat  for  Fluelen, 
fine  trip  up  lake.  Then  across  St.  Gothard  to 
Andermatt:  splendid  views. 

Wed.,  27  Aug.    Andermatt  via  Dissentis  to  Ilanz. 

Thurs.,  28  Aug.  Ilanz  to  Chur.  Fine  drive, 
especially  in  Rabiusa  ravine. 

Fri.,  29  Aug.    Drove  to  Thusis.    Rain. 

Sat.,  30  Aug.  Thusis.  Clear.  Walked  part  way 
up  Via  Mala:  roads  broken  everywhere. 

Sun.,  31  Aug.  Drove  back  to  Coire.  Road  badly 
broken. 

Mon.,  1  Sept.    Coire  to  Zurich. 

Thurs.,  4  Sept.  Left  Zurich,  8.  Crossed  Lac  de 
Constance,  very  pretty.  Arrived  Munich,  5.20. 

Fri.,  5  Sept.  Munich  to  Oberammergau.  Rooms 
at  Frau  Klammer. 

Sat.,  6  Sept.  Oberammergau.  Lovely  day. 
Walked  about  village  and  to  Kreuzigung  Monument. 

Sun.,  7  Sept.  Oberammergau.  Passion  play. 
Very  fine,  especially  Pilate  and  Nathaniel.  Joseph 
Mayer  very  good  and  simple. 

Mon.,  8  Sept.  Oberammergau  to  Munich.  Heard 
' '  Meistersinger ' '  in  evening :  fine . 


66  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Tues.,  9  Sept.  Munich.  Visited  Palace,  Old 
Pinacothek,  Bavaria.  Brewery  in  evening,  and 
to  theater,  to  a  Volkstuck,  with  Schuhplatter- 
tanz. 

Wed.,  10  Sept.  Munich  to  Botzen,  7.30.  Lovely 
day,  fine  views. 

Thurs.,  11  Sept.  Left  Botzen  12.28.  Missed  our 
train  at  Verona  and  arrived  Venice,  9.20. 

Fri.,  12  Sept.  Venice.  Visited  Doge's  Palace, 
St.  Mark's,  S.  Giorgio  Maggiore,  Sta.  Maria  della 
Salute,  and  Dei  Frati  Jesuit  Church,  lace  and  glass 
works. 

Sat.,  13  Sept.    Spent  afternoon  at  Lido. 

Sun.,  14  Sept.  Venice.  Academy  of  the  Fine 
Arts,  Titian's  two  portraits,  Tintoretto,  drawings 
of  Raphael,  Leonardo.  Regatta  at  Murano. 

Mon.,  15  Sept.  Visited  Academia  again,  also 
Arsenal.  Left  Venice,  4  P.  M.  Arrived  Milan,  9.35. 

Tues.,  16  Sept.  Milan.  Visited  Duomo,  Galleria 
Vitorio  Emmanuele,  pictures  at  the  Brera,  Leon 
ardo's  fresco  at  Sta.  Maria  delle  Grazie  and  Arch 
of  the  Simplon. 

Wed.,  17  Sept.  Milan  to  Baveno.  Islands  very 
pretty. 

Thurs.,  18  Sept.  Baveno.  Took  a  sail  on  lake 
to  Laveno.  Weather  in  mountains  bad. 

Sat.,  20  Sept.  Baveno  via  Laveno  and  Como  to 
Bellagio.  Lovely  sail.  Walked  through  Villa  Ser- 
belloni. 


IN    MEMORIAM.  67 

Sun.,  21  Sept.  Rowed  over  to  Villa  Carlotta, 
superb  garden.  Left  Bellagio,  2.10.  Arrived  Lu 
gano,  via  Porlezza,  4.30. 

Mon.,  22  Sept.  Lugano,  Hotel  du  Pare,  old 
Monastery.  Walked  round  town. 

Tues.,  23  Sept.    Lugano  to  Bale,  pleasant  journey. 

Wed.,  24  Sept.  Bale.  Visited  Cathedral  and 
cloisters,  Mittelalter  Museum,  superb  glass;  walked 
round  town. 

Thurs.,  25  Sept.  Bale  to  Strasburg.  Drove  to  see 
clock  at  12.  Hotel  Ville  de  Paris.  To  Cathedral, 
drove  through  Citadel  and  to  St.  Thomas'  church, 
monument  to  Maurice  de  Saxe.  In  evening  heard 
"  Figaro's  Hochzeit." 

Fri.,  26  Sept.  Strassburg  to  Metz.  Drove  round 
town,  to  Cathedral,  past  Bazaine's  house  and  La 
Porte  des  Allemands. 

Sat.,  27  Sept.  Metz  to  Brussels.  Pleasant 
journey. 

Sun.,  28  Sept.  Bruxelles.  To  church  in  morn 
ing.  Drive  through  Bois  de  la  Cambre  in  after 
noon. 

Mon.,  29  Sept.  Bruxelles.  To  Ste.  Gudule,  Hotel 
de  Ville,  Maison  d'Or,  Statue  of  Comtes  Egmont 
and  Horn. 

Tues.,  30  Sept.  Bruxelles.  W.  went  to  Waterloo. 
In  evening  to  opera,  "Les  Dragons  de  Villars." 

Wed.,  1  Oct.  Bruxelles.  To  Musee.  W.  went  to 
Louvain. 


68  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Thurs.,  2  Oct.  Bruxelles  to  Antwerp,  10.41  to  12. 
Visited  Cathedral,  Grande  Place,  Musee  Plantin- 
Moretus.  To  Amsterdam,  3.26-7.32. 

Fri.,  3  Oct.  Amsterdam.  Musee  Six  and  Rijks 
Museum.  Superb  Rembrandts.  To  Roster's  dia 
mond  cutting  factory.  To  Zaandam,  saw  Peter's 
house  and  pictures. 

Sat.,  4  Oct.  Amsterdam  to  Bruxelles.  W.  to 
Utrecht  and  The  Hague. 

Mon.,  6  Oct.  Left  Brussels  at  8.25.  Detained 
near  Lille  by  engine  running  off  the  track.  Ar 
rived  London,  6  P.  M. 

Wed.,  8  Oct.  W.  to  National  Gallery.  In  after 
noon  to  Rowsley. 

Thurs.,  9  Oct.  Rowsley.  Drove  to  Chatsworth, 
Bakewell  church  very  interesting,  lunch  at  Rut 
land  Arms,  then  to  Haddon  Hall. 

Fri.,  10  Oct.    Rowsley  to  Liverpool. 

Sat.,  11  Oct.    Sailed  on  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Umbria. 

Sun.,  19  Oct.  Arrived  New  York,  8  A.  M.  To 
Philadelphia. 

1891. 

Sat.,  30  May.    Sailed  on  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Umbria. 

Sat.,  6  June.  Arrived  Liverpool,  8.45  P.  M. 
Came  up  from  bar  on  "  Skirmisher. " 

Sun.,  7  June.    Liverpool.    To  Cathedral. 

Mon.,  8  June.  Liverpool  to  London.  Drove  in 
Hyde  Park. 

Wed.,  10  June.    London  to  Calais. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  69 

Thurs.,  11  June.    Calais  to  Brussels. 

Thurs.,  18  June.  Have  spent  this  week  in  Brus 
sels.  Left  this  morning,  stopped  over  at  Luxem 
bourg,  arrived  Treves,  2.20  P.  M.,  took  a  drive. 

Fri.,  19  June.  Left  Treves,  2.35;  stopped  at 
Cochem,  arrived  Coblentz,  6.10  P.  M. 

Sat.,  20  June.  Coblentz  to  Frankfurt.  "La 
Juive"  in  evening. 

Tues.,  23  June.    Frankfurt  to  Bale. 

Wed.,  24  June.    Bale  to  Lucerne. 

Thurs.,  25  June.  Trip  on  Lake  of  Lucerne,  bad 
storm. 

Sat.,  27  June.    Lucerne  to  Interlaken. 

Sun.,  28  June.    Drove  to  Schloss  Unspunnen. 

Mon.,29June.  Drove  to  St.  Beatenberg;  glorious 
view. 

Fri.,  3  July.    Interlaken  to  Thun;  fine  sail  on  lake. 

Mon.,  6  July.  Thun  to  Bern;  drove  round  town; 
then  to  Lausanne. 

Wed.,  8  July.     Lausanne  to  Ouchy. 

Thurs.,  9  July.    Ouchy  to  Veytaux  Chillon. 

Fri.,  10  July.  Veytaux  to  Visp,  St.  Niklaus,  and 
Zermatt:  glorious  drive,  Matter  horn  superb. 

Mon.,  13  July.  Zermatt  to  St.  Nicolas  by  car 
riage,  rail  to  Visp,  then  drove  to  Brieg. 

Thurs.,  14  July.  Brieg.  Drove  up  Simplon  and 
back. 

Wed.,  15  July.    Brieg  to  Veytaux  Chillon. 

Sat.,  18  July.     Veytaux  to  Neuchatel. 


70  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Sun.,  19  July.  Neuchatel  to  Neuhausen,  Falls  of 
Rhine. 

Tues.,  21  July.  Neuhausen  to  Konstanz.  Then  a 
lovely  sail  across  lake  to  Friedrichshafen. 

Wed.,  22  July.  Friedrichshafen  to  Ulm.  Heard 
concert  at  Minister. 

Thurs.,  23  July.  Ulm  to  Augsburg.  Drove 
round  town,  old  houses,  fine  Rathhaus,  with  Goldene 
Saal. 

Fri.,  24  July.     Augsburg  to  Munich. 

Sat.,  25  July.  Munich.  Drove  about;  New 
Pinacothek,  theater  in  evening. 

Sun.,  26  July.  Munich.  Old  Pinacothek,  Volks- 
garten,  Nymphenburg  Palace. 

Mon.,  27  July.  Munich  to  Linz,  by  Orient  Express , 
12.15-4.50.  Hotel  Erzherzog  Carl  on  the  Danube. 

Tues.,  28  July.  Linz  to  Vienna,  7.30  A.  M.- 
4.30  P.  M.  Smaller  boat  up  canal  from  Niissdorf. 
Volksgarten  concert. 

Wed.,  29  July.  Vienna.  Saw  Armory.  Drove 
around. 

Thurs.,  30  July.  My  birthday.  Walked  about. 
Drove  in  Prater  in  evening. 

Fri.,  31  July.  Drove  to  Schonbrunn,  splendid 
gardens,  one  hour's  walk  through  them.  To  St. 
Stephen's  Cathedral. 

Sat.,  1  Aug.    Vienna  to  Buda-Pest. 

Sun.,  2  Aug.  Buda-Pest.  Drove  round  town  and 
to  Schloss  and  Waldschlosschen. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  71 

Tues.,  4  Aug.    Buda  Pest  to  Vienna. 

Wed.,  5  Aug.    Vienna  to  Brunn. 

Thurs.,  6  Aug.  Brunn  to  Dresden,  pleasant 
journey. 

FrL,  7  Aug.  Drove  around.  Dr.  Peschel  came  to 
dinner  and  to  theater  afterwards. 

Sat.,  8  Aug.    Bought  china;   to  opera. 

Sun.,  9  Aug.  Picture  gallery  and  Briihl  Terrasse. 
Church. 

Mon.,  10  Aug.  Dresden  to  Berlin.  Drove  to 
Charlottenburg. 

Tues.,  11  Aug.  To  Potsdam.  Princess  F.  Leopold 
in  train. 

Wed.,  12  Aug.  King  Wilhelm's  Palace  and 
Schloss.  Also  to  International  Exhibition  of  pic 
tures. 

Thurs.,  13  Aug.  Berlin  to  Hof.  Weisses  Lamm, 
good  little  hotel. 

Fri.,  14  Aug.    Hof  to  Bayreuth. 

Sat.,  15  Aug.  Bayreuth.  Drove  to  Eremitage, 
Wahnfried  and  Wagner's  grave.  "  Tristan,"  very  fine. 

Sun.,  16  Aug.  "Parsifal,"  most  solemn  and  im 
pressive. 

Mon.,  17  Aug.    Went  all  through  Theater. 

Tues.,  18  Aug.     "Tannhauser,"  splendid. 

Wed.,  19  Aug.     "Parsifal." 

Fri.,  21  Aug.     Bayreuth  to  Eisenach. 

Sat.,  22  Aug.  Lovely  visit  to  Wartburg.  The 
Herr  Oberst  showed  us  his  rooms. 


72  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Sun.,  23  Aug.     Eisenach  to  Frankfurt. 

Mon.,  24  Aug.     Left  Frankfurt,  5.10  P.  M. 

Tues.,  25  Aug.     Arrived  Paris,  8.45  A.  M. 

Sun.,  6  Sept.     Paris  to  Canterbury. 

Mon.,  7  Sept.  Canterbury.  Service  10  A.  M. 
Visited  Cathedral,  St.  Martin's  and  St.  Augustine's 
Gateway. 

Tues.,  8  Sept.     Canterbury  to  London. 

Thurs.  10  Sept.     London.     To  Hampton  Court. 

Sun.,  13  Sept.  London.  Drive  through  Kensing 
ton,  Mortlake,  to  Richmond,  Kingston,  Putney. 

Mon.,  14  Sept.     Mr.  A.  J.  Butler  to  dinner. 

Thurs.,  17  Sept.     London  to  Liverpool. 

Sat.,  19  Sept.    Sailed  on  Cunarder  Etruria,  10  A.M. 

Sat.,  26  Sept.    Landed  at  New  York,  6.30  P.  M. 

1894. 

Sat.,  19  May.  Sailed  on  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Cam 
pania  5.30  A.  M. 

Sat.,  26  May.     Arrived  Liverpool,  4  P.  M. 

Mon.,  28  May.     Liverpool  to  London,  11.05-3.30. 

Tues.,  29  May.     "Falstaff "  at  Covent  Garden. 

Thurs.,  31  May.     Royal  Institute. 

Sat.,  2  June.     London  to  Dover. 

Mon.,  4  June.     Dover  to  Calais  and  Brussels. 

Wed.,  6  June.     Brussels  to  Bruges. 

Thurs.,  7  June.  Bruges.  Memling  pictures, 
Notre  Dame,  Musee  of  lace.  Cheminee  de  Charles 
V.  (du  Franc)  etc. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  73 

Fri.,  8  June.  Bruges  to  Ghent.  Van  Eyck 
pictures,  B6guinage. 

Sat.,  9  June.     Ghent  to  Brussels. 

Sun.,  10  June.  Brussels,  Hotel  de  Ville,  Ste. 
Gudule,  etc. 

Mon.,  11  June.  To  Antwerp  and  back.  To 
Exposition. 

Thurs.,  14  June.  Brussels  to  Cologne.  Cathedral 
splendid. 

Fri.,  15  June.  Cologne  to  Homburg  to  take 
waters. 

Sat.,  23  June.  To  Wiesbaden  and  back.  Saw 
Miss  Varena. 

Fri.,  13  July.     Homburg  to  Nuremberg. 

Sat.,  14  July.  Nuremberg.  Visited  St.  Sebald's 
Church,  Schone  Brunnen,  Bratwurstglocklein,  Burg, 
Gansemannlein,  etc. 

Sun.,  15  July.  Visited  St.  Lorenz  Kirche.  Drove 
round  walls.  In  evening  to  Munich. 

Tues.,  17  July.  Munich  to  Garmisch.  Rooms 
at  Herr  Bysschl,  same  that  Ludwig  of  Bavaria 
had. 

Thurs.,  19  July.  Garmisch.  Walked  through 
Wittelbacher  Park.  Schuhplattler  and  Tyrolese 
concert  in  evening. 

Fri.,  20  July.  Drove  to  Partenkirchen.  W. 
started  there  for  Zugspitze. 

Sat.,  21  July.  Drove  to  Eibsee  and  Badersee. 
W.  had  a  fine  climb  and  glorious  view. 


74  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Sun.,  22  July.  Left  Garmisch,  8  A.  M.  Drove 
via  Griesen,  Plansee  and  Reutee  to  Fussen  (Hohen- 
schwangau)  arrived,  4  P.  M. 

Mon.,  23  July.  Visited  Neu  Schwanstein  and 
Schloss  Hohenschwangau,  also  Alp  See. 

Tues.,  24  July.  Left  Hohenschwangau,  8  A.  M. 
drove  across  Fern  Pass,  arrived  Imst,  9  P.  M. 

Wed.,  25  July.     Imst  to  Zurich. 

Fri.,  27  July.     Zurich  to  Berne. 

Sat.,  28  July.  Drove  round  Berne.  E.  and  W. 
started  for  Zermatt. 

Sun.,  29  July.  Berne.  Superb  view  of  Oberland 
at  sunrise.  In  evening  to  Bale. 

Mon.,  30  July.  Bale  to  Strassburg.  Drove  round 
town,  to  Cathedral,  etc. 

Tues.,  31  July.  Strassburg  to  Metz.  Drove  round 
Metz,  past  Bazaine's  house,  to  Cathedral,  Place 
d'Armes,  etc. 

Wed.,  1  Aug.  Drove  to  part  of  battlefield  of  14 
August.  Also  saw  Gravelotte  and  forts  in  the  dis 
tance.  In  afternoon  to  Brussels. 

Sat.,  4  Aug.    Brussels  to  Paris. 

Fri.,  10  Aug.  Paris.  Have  shopped  and  been  to 
operas  "Salammbo"  and  "  Lohengrin." 

Sat.,  11  Aug.  Paris  to  Reims.  Saw  Cathedral 
and  Tresor. 

Sun.,  12  Aug.  Reims  to  Coucy.  Visited  the  very 
fine  Chateau,  also  saw  room  of  Gabrielle  d'Estrees. 
In  evening  to  Compiegne. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  75 

Mon.,  13  Aug.  Visited  Palais  de  Compiegne. 
Drove  through  forest  to  the  very  fine  Chateau  of 
Pierrefonds. 

Tues.,  14  May.    To  Paris. 

Tues.,  21  Aug.  Paris  to  Fontainebleau  and  back. 
Visited  Palace.  Drove  through  forest  and  Gorges 
de  Fanchard. 

Sun.,  26  Aug.  Paris  to  Beauvais.  Drove  to  the 
glorious  Cathedral,  to  St.  Etienne  and  round  the 
town. 

Mon.,  27  Aug.  Beauvais  to  Amiens.  To  Cathe 
dral,  splendid  carved  stalls. 

Wed.,  29  Aug.     Amiens  to  Dover. 

Thurs.,  30  Aug.    Dover  to  Cambridge. 

Fri.,  31  Aug.  Cambridge.  To  King's  Chapel, 
Trinity  College,  College  Hall  and  Chapel,  St.  Johns, 
Combination  room,  etc. 

Sat.,  1  Sept.  Cambridge  to  Ely.  To  Cathedral, 
triforium  very  fine;  drive  round  town. 

Mon.,  3  Sept.  To  Lincoln.  Visited  Cathedral, 
Angel  choir  fine;  then  to  York. 

Tues.,  4  Sept.  York.  Drove  round  walls.  Vis 
ited  Minster,  Chapter  House,  St.  Mary's  Abbey. 

Wed.,  5  Sept.  York  to  Ripon  and  back.  Drove 
to  Cathedral  and  Lodge  of  Studley  Royal.  Rained, 
so  did  not  go  to  Fountains  Abbey. 

Thurs.,  6  Sept.  York  to  Durham  and  back.  Saw 
Castle  and  Cathedral.  Galilee  porch  or  chapel 
superb. 


76  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Fri.,  7  Sept.    York  to  Liverpool. 

Sat.,  8  Sept.     Sailed  on  Cunarder  Campania. 

Fri.,  14  Sept.    Arrived  New  York. 

1895. 

Sat.,  1  June.  Sailed  for  Europe  on  Cunard  R.  M. 
S.  Campania. 

Sat.,  8  June.    Landed  Liverpool.    To  St.  Albans. 

Sun.,  9  June.  St.  Albans.  To  Abbey  Church, 
restored  by  Lord  Grinthorpe.  Drove  to  Gorham- 
bury,  seat  of  Earl  of  Verulam,  where  Lord  Bacon  lived. 

Mon.,  10  June.  St.  Albans  to  London.  In  after 
noon  to  Dover. 

Tues.,  11  June.    Dover  to  Calais,  then  to  Brussels. 

•Wed.,  12  June.  Brussels  to  Cologne.  Bells  of 
Cathedral  were  ringing  when  we  arrived. 

Thurs.,  13  June.    Cologne  to  Wiesbaden. 

Sun.,  16  June.  Saw  Miss  Varena  several  times. 
Once  to  opera,  etc. 

Mon.,  17  June.  Wiesbaden  to  Homburg  to  take 
the  waters.  Hotel  Freyberg,  Schwedenpfad. 

Tues.,  2  July.    Homburg  to  Berlin. 

Wed.,  3  July.    Drove  around  Berlin. 

Fri.,  5  July.  Left  Berlin,  9.02  A.  M.  Passed 
Marienburg,  very  fine  castle  of  Teutonic  Knights. 
Fine  bridge  across  Vistula.  Arrived  Wirballen, 
10.30  P.  M. 

Sat.,  6  July.  Wirballen  to  St.  Petersburg,  1  A.M.- 
6.40  P.  M.  Fine  day;  many  interesting  sights. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  77 

Sun.,  7  July.  To  St.  Isaac's  to  service,  fine  sing 
ing.  Went  to  Peterhof  via  Cronstadt,  Oranien- 
baum. 

Mon.,  8  July.  Drove  round  Petersburg.  Went 
to  Church  of  St.  Peter,  and  Paul  and  to  Peter  the 
Great's  cottage. 

Tues.,  9  July.  Went  to  Hermitage,  Peter  the 
Great's  gallery.  Also  to  St.  Isaac's  and  Kasan 
Cathedral. 

Wed.,  10  July.  Went  to  Winter  Palace:  most 
beautiful  and  interesting.  Saw  240  bread  and  salt 
plates  and  180  ikons  sent  to  Nicolas  II  and  his  wife. 

Thurs.,  11  July.  To  Tzarskoe  Selo  and  back: 
fine  palace.  At  9  P.  M.,  left  for  Moscow. 

Fri.,  12  July.  Arrived  Moscow,  10  A.  M.  Hotel 
Slaviansky  Bazar.  Drove  through  Kremlin  to 
Sparrow  Hills:  very  fine  view. 

Sat.,  13  July.  Visited  Kremlin,  Cathedral  of 
Assumption,  St.  Michael,  Annunciation,  Palace  of 
Patriarchs,  St.  Saviour,  Romanoff  House. 

Sun.,  14  July.  Went  to  service  at  Church  of  the 
Saviour,  afterwards  to  St.  Basil.  Drove  in  after 
noon.  E.  and  W.  off  to  Nijni. 

Mon.,  15  July.  Went  to  Palace  at  Kremlin, 
very  fine,  especially  the  Terem.  Drove  to 
Petrovsky  Park. 

Tues.,  16  July.  E.  and  W.  returned  from  Nijni 
after  good  visit.  Visited  Tretiakoff  gallery:  fine 
Russian  pictures. 


78  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Wed.,  17  July.  Drove  about  to  say  farewell 
to  Moscow.  Left  Moscow,  6.30  P.  M.  Cool 
evening. 

Thurs.,  18  July.  Traveled  all  day:  dirty  cars. 
Arrived  Warsaw,  10.35  P.  M. 

Fri.,  19  July.  Drove  about  Warsaw.  Saw  500 
meter  bridge  across  Vistula.  Church  of  St.  Stanislas 
where  Polish  kings  were  crowned.  Belvedere  and 
Palace. 

Sat.,  20  July.     Warsaw  to  Thorn.    4.05  P.  M.- 
10  P.  M.     Met  pleasant  Polish  engineer  in  train. 

Sun.,  21  July.  Drove  about  Thorn.  Saw  house 
where  Copernicus  was  born;  his  statue;  the 
Rathhaus;  Schiefe  Thurm;  Marien  Kirche;  Heilige 
Geist  Kirche.  In  evening  to  a  local  historical  play 
"Das  Blutgericht  von  Thorn." 

Mon.,  22  July.  Thorn  to  Breslau  via  Posen  which 
looks  interesting.  Saw  lots  of  windmills  and  several 
chateaux. 

Tues.,  23  July.  Breslau.  Went  to  see  the  fine 
Rathhaus,  old  churches,  etc. 

Wed.,  24  July.    Breslau  to  Dresden. 

Thurs.,  1  Aug.  Dresden.  Have  had  some  very 
hot  weather  here.  Dr.  Peschel  came  to  see  us 
several  times.  To  picture  gallery,  Vogelwiese, 
Grosser  Garten,  Grunes  Gewolbe  and  several  times 
to  the  opera. 

Fri.,  2  Aug.    Dresden  to  Plauen. 

Sat.,  3  Aug.    Plauen  to  Niirnberg. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  79 

Sun.,  4  Aug.  Walked  about  Nurnberg.  Schone 
Brunnen,  Markt,  Bratwurstglocklein,  Burg,  Hans 
Sachs'  and  Albrecht  Diirer's  houses. 

Mon.,  5  Aug.  Drove  to  St.  Johannis  Friedhof. 
Graves  of  Albrecht  Diirer,  Hans  Sachs,  Martin 
Behaim,  Pirkheimer,  Adam  Kraft. 

Tues.,  6  Aug.  Nurnberg  to  Rothenburg  ob  der 
Tauber.  Hotel  Hirsch.  Visited  Jacobs  Kirche; 
Burgthor,  very  fine;  Klingenthor;  Koboldzellerthor; 
fine  views  of  walls. 

Wed.,  7  Aug.  Visited  Spitalhof,  Spitalthor,  walked 
round  Anlagen,  through  Weissesthurm  to  Wurtem- 
bergthor,  Rathhaus  and  tower,  Roderthor.  Left 
Rothenburg,  3.35  P.  M.  Arrived  Munich,  8.55. 

Thurs.,  8  Aug.     "Die  Feen:"  very  pretty. 

Sun.,  11  Aug.    Munich  to  Zurich. 

Mon.,  12  Aug.    Zurich  to  Interlaken. 

Wed.,  14  Aug.    W.  started  for  Petersgrat. 

Thurs.,  15  Aug.  Ed.  went  to  Schafloch,  very  fine. 
W.  returned  from  Petersgrat,  successful  trip. 

Fri.,  16  Aug.  Went  up  Schynige  Platte:  glorious 
view.  Saw  engineers  on  Jungfrau. 

Sat.,  17  Aug.  To  Lauterbrunnen,  Wengern  Alp, 
Scheidegg,  Grindelwald.  Superb  day,  mountains 
very  fine,  views  wonderful. 

Wed.,  21  Aug.  W.  started  for  Strahleck  Pass 
between  Schreckhorn  and  Finsteraarhorn. 

Thur.,  22  Aug.  W.  arrived  at  Grimsel  at  5.30 
P.M. 


80  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Fri.,  23  Aug.    W.  returned:   fine  excursion. 

Mon.,  26  Aug.  Left  Interlaken,  2.15  P.  M. 
Lovely  sail  on  Lake  of  Thoune.  Arrived  Bienne  (or 
Biel)  via  Bern,  6.20. 

Tues.,  27  Aug.    Biel  to  Freiburg. 

Wed.,  28  Aug.  Excursion  to  Titisee.  Then  drive 
to  Cathedral  and  through  town. 

Thurs.,  29  Aug.    Freiburg  to  Baden-Baden. 

Fri.,  30  Aug.  Drove  down  Lichtenthalerallee 
Verbindungsweg,  very  pretty.  In  afternoon  to 
Frankfurt. 

Sat.,  31  Aug.  Frankfurt  to  Homburg.  Hotel 
Freyberg.  Started  taking  Elizabeth  Brunnen. 

Sun.,  15  Sept.     Left  Homburg,  4  P.  M. 

Mon.,  16  Sept.  Arrived  Paris,  8.47  A.  M.  Hotel 
du  Jar  din. 

Thurs.,  26  Sept.  Paris  to  London.  Splendid  cross 
ing  of  Channel. 

Sat.,  28  Sept.  London  to  Windsor  and  back. 
Visited  Castle  (East  Terrace);  drove  through  Park 
and  Forest;  saw  grapevine. 

Sun.,  29  Sept.  Drove  to  Royal  Botanical  Gardens 
at  Kew.  Through  Chelsea,  Richmond,  Putney  and 
back  through  Hammersmith. 

Tues.,  1  Oct.  London  to  Salisbury.  Went  to 
Cathedral  and  Close:  King's  Wardrobe  very  fine. 

Wed.,  2  Oct.  Drove  to  Stonehenge,  past  Old 
Sarum  and  Avebury  House.  Returned  via  Lake 
House  and  Valley  of  Avon. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  81 

Thurs.,  3  Oct.  Salisbury  to  Winchester.  Drove 
to  Cathedral;  to  Hospital  of  St.  Cross,  glorious 
Norman  windows;  County  Hall  and  Round  Table. 

Fri.,  4  Oct.  Salisbury  to  Exeter.  Cathedral  very 
fine. 

Sat.,  5  Oct.  Exeter  to  Bridgwater:  Royal 
Clarence  Hotel,  good.  Visited  St.  Mary's  Church. 
In  afternoon  to  Wells. 

Mon.,  7  Oct.  Wells  via  Bristol  to  Gloucester: 
Cathedral  very  fine. 

Tues.,  8  Oct.  To  A.  M.  service  in  Gloucester 
Cathedral:  cloister  fine,  fan  tracery.  In  afternoon 
to  Hereford;  Cathedral  fine  Norman. 

Wed.,  9  Oct.  Hereford  to  Chester.  Went  to 
Cathedral,  stalls  fine. 

Thurs.,  10  Oct.  Walked  on  Chester  Walls  in 
morning.  In  afternoon  to  Liverpool. 

Sat.,  12  Oct.     Sailed  on  Cunard  S.  S.  Campania. 

Fri.,  18  Oct.     Arrived  New  York,  6.30  P.  M. 

1896. 

Sat.,  9  May.     Sailed  on  Cunard  S.  S.  Lucania. 

Sat.,  16  May.  Landed  Liverpool,  6.30  A.  M. 
Crossed  to  Birkenhead.  Thence  to  Stratford. 

Sun.,    17    May.      Stratford.      Went    to    Trinity 
Church.     Walked  about  grounds  and  town.     Saw 
Harvard  House  and  New  Place. 
Mon.,  18  May.     Stratford  to  London. 
Wed.,  20  May.     Celebration  of  Queen's  Birthday. 
Thurs.,  21  May.     London  to  Calais. 


82  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

Sat.,  23  May.     Calais  to  Reims. 

Sun.,  24  May.    Reims,  via  Verdun,  to  Metz. 

Tues.,  26  May.    Metz,  via  Radstadt,  to  Carlsruhe. 

Wed.,  27  May.     Carlsruhe  to  Munich. 

Thurs.,  28  May.     Munich  to  Salzburg. 

Mon.,  1  June.  Drove  to  Berchtesgaden  and  Konig- 
see  and  back.  Fine  day,  lovely  drive.  Row  on  lake. 

Tues.,  2  June.  Left  Salzburg,  3.07  P.  M.  Fine 
ride  over  Gisella  Bahn.  Zell-am-See  lovely.  Arrived 
Innsbruck,  9.48. 

Wed.,  3  June.  Innsbruck.  Drove  to  Schloss 
Amras,  where  Archduke  Ferdinand  and  Philippine 
Welser  lived.  Also  to  Berg  Isel  to  see  Hofer  Monu 
ment.  He  twice  beat  Napoleon  from  there. 

Thurs.,  4  June.  Innsbruck.  Corpus  Christi. 
Went  to  Hofkirch  to  see  Kaiser  Max's  monument. 
Walked  round  town,  saw  Goldene  Dachl,  etc. 

Fri.,  5  June.     Innsbruck  to  Bischofshoffen. 

Sat.,  6  June.    Bischofshoffen  via  Steinach  to  Ischl. 

Sun.,  7  June.  Ischl.  Walked  along  river  Traun, 
pretty  walk.  Corpus  Christi  procession  very  pretty. 

Mon.,  8  June.  Ischl.  Went  through  grounds  of 
Imperial  Villa.  Fine  view  of  Dachstein. 

Tues.,  9  June.  To  Gmunden  for  the  day:  pleasant 
excursion. 

Wed.,  10  June.    Ischl  via  Salzburg  to  Munich. 

Thurs.,  11  June.     Munich  to  Frankfurt. 

Fri.,  12  June.  Frankfurt  to  Homburg  to  take 
waters. 


IN    MEMORIAM.  83 

Mon.,  13  July.  Homburg  via  Giessen  to  Braunfels. 
Visited  Schloss,  very  fine;  saw  private  apartments. 

Tues.,  14  July.  Left  Braunfels,  10.49  A.  M. 
Saw  Lahn  Valley,  Limburg  Cathedral,  to  Ems. 
Returned  to  Limburg.  Via  Nieder-Selters  to 
Homburg. 

Sun.,  19  July.  Homburg  via  Offenburg  to 
Heidelberg. 

Mon.,  20  July.  Drove  up  to  Neckar  Steinach. 
In  evening  drove  to  see  the  Schloss  and  old  bridge 
illuminated,  very  fine. 

Tues.,  21  July.     Heidelberg  to  Hornberg. 

Wed.,  22  July.  Hornberg.  Walked  through 
village.  Drove  up  Reichenbachthal  to  Fohrenbuhl, 
very  pretty. 

Thurs.,  23  July.  Hornberg  to  Constanz.  Saw 
beginning  of  Danube. 

Sat.,  25  July.     Constanz  to  St.  Gall. 

Sun.,  26  July.  From  St.  Gall  traveled  via 
Rorschach,  Sarganz  and  Lake  of  Wallenstadt  to 
Weesen.  Lunched  there  and  thence  to  Glarus. 

Mon.,  27  July.  W^ent  up  valley  in  afternoon  to 
Stachelberg,  Linthal,  pretty  ride. 

Wed.,  29  July.  Glarus  via  Pfaffikon,  Arth  and 
Goldau  to  Brunnen. 

Fri.,  31  July.    Brunnen  to  Fluelen  and  back. 

Sun.,  2  Aug.     Drove  to  Schwytz,  saw  Rathhaus. 

Fri.,  7  Aug.    Brunnen  via  Lucerne  to  Thun. 

Sat.,  8  Aug.    Thun  via  Berne  to  Geneva. 


84  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Sun.,  9  Aug.  Geneva.  Went  to  Exposition, 
Swiss  village,  Mountain  artillery. 

Wed.,  12  Aug.    Geneva  to  Dijon. 

Thurs.,  13  Aug.  Dijon,  via  Sens  and  Montargis, 
to  Orleans. 

Fri.,  14  Aug.  Orleans  to  Blois.  Visited  the  very 
fine  Chateau.  Then  to  Amboise. 

Sat.,  15  Aug.  Chateau  d'Amboise  very  fine, 
pretty  view.  In  afternoon  to  Tours. 

Sun.,  16  Aug.  Tours  to  Chenonceaux  and  back. 
Visited  Chateau  and  park,  very  pretty. 

Mon.,  17  Aug.  Tours  to  Langeais.  Visited 
Chateau,  very  fine.  Drove  to  Usse,  saw  Chateau 
built  by  Vauban  belonging  to  Comte  de  Blaca  (?). 
Drove  to  Azay-le-Rideau,  chateau  belonging  to 
Messrs,  de  Briancourt.  Returned  to  Tours. 

Tues,  18  Aug.  Tours  to  Loches  and  back.  Vis 
ited  Donjon,  Chateau  and  Church,  Porte  des  Cor 
deliers,  very  fine. 

Wed.,  19  Aug.  Tours  to  Chartres.  Visited 
Cathedral,  very  fine. 

Thurs.,  20  Aug.  Drove  round  Chartres.  Porte 
Guillaume,  Cathedral.  Chartres  to  Versailles,  1.35- 
3.05.  Visited  Musee  des  Voitures,  Petit  Trianon. 
Drove  in  Pare. 

Fri.,  21  Aug.  Versailles.  Visited  Palace.  Marie 
Antoinette's  rooms.  In  afternoon  to  Paris. 

Sun.,  23  Aug.  Went  to  TEglise  de  1'Oratoire: 
good  sermon. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  85 

Mon.,  24  Aug.  " Lohengrin/'  well  sung  and 
superbly  staged. 

Sun.,  30  Aug.    Paris  to  Dover. 

Mon.,  31  Aug.    Dover  to  London. 

Thurs.,  10  Sept.    London  to  Liverpool. 

Sat.,  12  Sept.  Sailed  for  home  on  Cunard  S.  S. 
Lucania. 

Fri.,  18  Sept.    Arrived  New  York,  6.30  P.  M. 

1897. 

Sat.,  5  June.    Sailed  on  Cunard  S.  S.  Lucania. 

Sat.,  12  June.  Landed  Liverpool,  7.30.  On  to 
London  and  Dover.  Crossed  Channel. 

Sun.,  13  June.  Arrived  Calais,  midnight.  Fine 
crossing. 

Mon.,  14  June.    Calais  to  Paris. 

Fri.,  18  June.    Left  Paris  per  Wagon-Lit. 

Sat.,  19  June.  Arrived  Frankfurt.  On  to  Hom- 
burg  to  take  the  waters. 

Sun.,  25  July.  Homburg  to  Hildesheim  (Heiliges 
Heim) . 

Mon.,  26  July.  Hildesheim.  Visited  Dom, 
Cloisters,  Rathhaus;  drove  round  town,  houses  and 
roofs  very  fine. 

Tues.,  27  July.  Visited  Michaelis  Kirche.  Hil 
desheim  to  Goslar,  1.55-2.49  P.  M.  Visited  Kaiser 
Haus,  Kunst-Uhr,  and  drove  round  Goslar. 

Wed.,  28  July.  Left  Goslar,  10.20.  Drove 
through  Okerthal  to  Romerhalle  and  Bad  Harz- 


86  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

burg.  Then  drove  to  Radau  Wasserfall,  round  the 
Kaiserweg  and  the  Molkenhaus. 

Thurs.,  29  July.  Harzburg.  Pottered  about  the 
place,  very  pretty. 

Fri.,  30  July.  Left  Harzburg,  9.30  A.  M.  Drove 
across  meadows  and  through  woods  to  Ilsenburg, 
very  pretty.  Then  drove  over  Plessenburg  and 
through  Steinerne  Renne  to  Wernigerode. 

Sat.,  31  July.    Wernigerode  to  Quedlinburg. 

Sun.,  1  Aug.  Visited  Schloss  and  Schloss  Kirche, 
saw  souvenirs  of  the  Abbesses.  In  afternoon  from 
Quedlinburg  to  Halle. 

Mon.,  2  Aug.  Drove  about  Halle,  full  of  memen 
toes  of  Luther.  In  afternoon  to  Dresden.  Elbe 
very  high,  terrible  floods. 

Fri.,  6  Aug.  Dresden.  Have  been  several  times 
to  Gallery.  Also  driven  about. 

Sat.,  7  Aug.  Dresden  via  Leipzig  and  Halle  to 
Magdeburg. 

Sun.,  8  Aug.  Drove  round  Magdeburg,  saw 
Cathedral,  very  fine,  where  they  were  having  a 
military  service.  In  afternoon  via  Stendal,  Welzen 
and  Liineburg  to  Liibeck. 

Mon.,  9  Aug.  Liibeck.  Drove  round  town,  very 
clean.  To  Kaufleut's  Haus  and  other  places. 
Memling  pictures.  Marienkirche.  In  afternoon  to 
Travemiinde. 

Tues.,  10  Aug.  Liibeck.  Visited  Rathhaus,  fine 
staircase  of  colored  brick  and  fine  rooms,  Kriegs 


IN    MEMORIAM.  87 

Zimmer  carving  very  fine.  In  afternoon  to  Bre 
men. 

Wed.,  11  Aug.  Bremen.  Drove  round,  went  to 
Dom  and  Gewerbehaus.  Quaint,  pretty  town. 

Thurs.,  12  Aug.  Bremen,  visited  Rathhaus  and 
Rathskeller. 

Fri.,  13  Aug.  Bremen  to  Groningen.  Pleasant 
journey,  country  looks  Dutch.  Drove  round  Gronin 
gen,  saw  harbor,  etc. 

Sat.,  14  Aug.  Groningen  to  Leeuwarden.  Drove 
round  town,  very  quaint.  Lots  of  canals  and  canal 
boats.  Waage  Huis,  Oldenhorn. 

Sun.,  15  Aug.  Leeuwarden.  Visited  Friesland 
Museum.  Two  interesting  rooms  from  Hindeloopen, 
also  fine  collection  of  porcelain  made  by  Mynherr 
Ypey  (?).  In  afternoon  drove  to  farm  of  K.  U. 
Kuperus. 

Mon.,  16  Aug.  Leeuwarden  to  Hindeloopen  and 
back.  At  Hindeloopen  drove  to  O.  van  Elselo's  house, 
and  saw  his  old  things.  Visited  Museum,  very  fine. 

Tues.,  17  Aug.  Leeuwarden  via  Meppel,  Zwolle, 
Amersfort  and  Hilversrum  to  Amsterdam. 

Wed.,  18  Aug.  Amsterdam.  Rijks  Museum. 
Saw  pictures,  Dutch  rooms,  relics  and  costumes. 
Drove  about. 

Thurs.,  19  Aug.  Drove  to  Buiksloot,  Broeck, 
Moninckendam,  Edam  and  Vollendam.  Here  went 
around  village  and  visited  several  houses,  very 
clean  and  interesting. 


88  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

Fri.,  20  Aug.  Amsterdam  to  Alkmaar  and  back. 
Went  to  see  Cheese  Market,  Waage  Huis,  Stadhuis 
and  church. 

Sat.,  21  Aug.  Visited  Six  collection  of  pictures, 
Nieuwe  Kerk,  tomb  of  Admiral  de  Ruyter.  In 
afternoon  to  The  Hague. 

Sun.,  22  Aug.     Spent  afternoon  at  Scheveningen. 

Mon.,  23  Aug.  Went  to  Queen's  Palace,  First 
and  Second  Chambers  and  Truce  Chamber  in 
Binnenhof.  Drove  to  the  Huis  ten  Bosch  and 
round  the  town. 

Tues.,  24  Aug.  The  Hague  to  Delft  and  back. 
Went  to  Prinzen  Hof,  Oude  Kerk,  saw  Van  Tromp's 
tomb,  to  Nieuwe  Kerk,  tomb  of  William  the  Silent 
very  fine,  and  Stadhuis. 

Wed.,  25  Aug.  The  Hague  to  Ley  den  and  back. 
Visited  University,  St.  Peter's  Church,  tombs  of 
Jean  de  Witt  and  Van  Kerckhoven.  To  Ethno 
graphical  Museum,  very  fine. 

Thurs.,  26  Aug.  To  Royal  Library,  missals  very 
fine.  To  Scheveningen  in  afternoon. 

Fri.,  27  Aug.  To  Leyden  and  back.  Saw  kake 
monos  and  makemonos,  very  fine.  Went  through 
Groote  Markt  at  The  Hague. 

Sat.,  28  Aug.  To  Maurishuis  to  see  pictures. 
In  afternoon  from  s'Gravenhaag  to  Utrecht. 

Sun.,  29  Aug.  Utrecht.  Went  to  Church  and 
Cathedral.  Walked  about  town. 

Mon.,  30  Aug.    Utrecht  to  Arnheim. 


IN    MEMORIAM.  89 

Tues.,  31  Aug.  Arnheim  to  Wiesbaden.  Fine 
journey  up  Rhine:  saw  Kaiser  flotilla  at  Coblentz. 

Wed.,  1  Sept.    Wiesbaden  to  Homburg. 

Thurs.,  2  Sept.  Homburg.  In  evening  rehearsal 
of  Zapfenstreich,  very  good  and  impressive. 

Fri.,  3  Sept.  Kaiser  and  Kaiserin  arrived  12.45. 
King  and  Queen  of  Italy  arrived  5.40  P.  M.:  he 
is  fine  looking,  she  is  pretty:  both  gracious.  In 
evening  Zapfenstreich. 

Sat.,  4  Sept.  Kaiserparade  of  50,000  men:  fine, 
drove  out.  The  Grand  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Hesse, 
King  Humbert,  Kaiser,  Prince  Leopold  of  Bavaria 
all  led  their  regiments  past  [the  grand  stand].  In 
evening  town  illuminated. 

Sun.,  5  Sept.    Homburg  to  Cologne. 

Mon.,  6  Sept.  Visited  Cathedral  of  Cologne  in 
morning,  very  fine.  In  evening  to  Calais. 

Tues.,  7  Sept.    Calais  to  London. 

Wed.,  15  Sept.  London.  Have  been  to  National 
Gallery  several  times;  to  British  Museum  to  see  the 
kakemonos,  also  Egyptian,  Assyrian  and  Roman 
sections;  and  to  other  places. 

Thurs.,  16  Sept.     London  to  Liverpool. 

Sat.,  18  Sept.  Sailed  for  home  on  Cunarder 
Lucania. 

Fri.,  24  Sept.    Reached  home,  10.30  P.  M. 

1899. 

Sat.,  20  May.    Sailed  on  Cunard  S.  S.  Campania. 
Sat.,  27  May.    Arrived  Liverpool.    On  to  Dover. 


90  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

Sun.,  28  May.    Dover  to  Calais. 

Mon.,  29  May.    Calais  to  Paris. 

Thurs.,  8  June.  Have  been  to  Louvre,  St.  Ger 
main  en  Laye,  several  times  to  opera  and  driven 
about  during  our  stay.  By  night  train  to  Frankfurt. 

Fri.,  9  June.    Arrived  Homburg:   to  take  waters. 

Mon.,  10  July.  Homburg  to  Liineburg:  quaint 
old  town. 

Tues.,  11  July.  Liineburg.  Visited  Rathhaus, 
fine  carving  by  Albert  von  Soest  1567:  drove  round 
town  and  to  see  Kloster  Lune  and  Stiftshaus.  In 
afternoon  to  Kiel. 

Wed.,  12  July.    Kiel  to  Flensburg. 

Thurs.,  13  July.  Flensburg  via  Fredericia,  Strib, 
Nyborg,  Korsor  to  Copenhagen. 

Fri.,  14  July.  Visited  Thorwaldsen  Museum  and 
Collection  of  Danish  Antiquities.  In  evening  drove 
round  Copenhagen. 

Sat.,  15  July.  Visited  Vor  Frue  Kirke,  fine 
statues  of  Thorwaldsen;  also  Slot  Rosenborg,  pretty 
garden;  dined  at  Tivoli  in  evening. 

Sun.,  16  July.  In  afternoon  by  steamer  to  Mai- 
mo;  left,  9.20  P.  M. 

Mon.,  17  July.  Arrived  Stockholm,  9.20  A.  M. 
Took  a  drive  round  Djurgard,  also  all  round 
Stockholm. 

Tues.,  18  July.  Visited  Northern  Museum.  In 
afternoon  and  evening  to  Stransen,  saw  dancing  by 
children  dressed  in  costume  of  country. 


IN    MEMORIAM.  91 

Wed.,  19  July.  Visited  Royal  Palace  and  Rid- 
darholmskyrka,  Gustav  II.  Adolphus'  grave  and 
shields  of  Knights  of  Order  of  the  Seraphim.  In 
afternoon  to  Salts jobadden. 

Thurs.,  20  July.  Visited  Royal  Library.  "  Codex 
Aureus, "  " Libra  Giganteum, "  and  carrier-pigeon 
message  from  Andree.  In  afternoon  to  Drotting- 
holm. 

Fri.,  21  July.  Visited  National  Museum.  Fine 
picture  of  Washington,  painted  by  Winterfeldt 
in  Philadelphia  in  1795.  Left  Stockholm,  5.25 
P.  M. 

Sat.,  22  July.  Arrived  Morsil  11.45  A.  M.  A 
Swedish  health  resort  on  a  plateau  1080  feet  high. 

Sun.,  23  July.  Left  Morsil,  11.48  A.  M.  Ar 
rived  Storlien,  3.25  P.  M.  Arrived  Throndhjem, 
9.50  P.  M.  A  very  pleasant  journey. 

Mon.,  24  July.  Visited  Cathedral,  drove  round 
town.  In  afternoon  drove  to  Leerfos,  pretty  drive, 
falls  fine. 

Tues.,  25  July.  Throndhjem.  Visited  Cathedral 
and  walked  round  town. 

Wed.,  26  July.  Pouring  rain.  Left  Throndhjem, 
7  P.  M.  Engine  broke  down  at  Roros.  Had  to  wait 
two  hours  for  another. 

Thurs.,  27  July.  Arrived  Kristiania,  2.30  P.  M. 
Drove  to  Oscarshall,  and  to  see  the  old  church  of 
Gol,  with  the  foren  house  and  stabbur  from  Tele- 
marken. 


92  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

Fri.,  28  July.  Visited  Viking  ship  and  picture 
gallery.  In  the  afternoon  drove  to  Holmenkollen 
and  Frognersaeter,  fine  view. 

Sat.,  29  July.  Prowled  round  Kristiania.  In 
afternoon  to  Sandvikenarr,  thence  drove  to  Sund- 
volden.  Pretty  drive. 

Sun.,  30  July.  From  Sundvolden  drove  to 
Honefos,  very  pretty.  In  afternoon  to  Kristiania. 
Pleasant  excursion. 

Wed.,  2  Aug.  Kristiania  to  Goteborg,  pleasant 
journey. 

Thurs.,  3  Aug.  Left  Goteborg,  9.30  A.  M. 
Crossed  the  Sound,  arrived  Copenhagen,  5.37  P.  M. 
Dined  at  Tivoli. 

Fri.,  4  Aug.  Copenhagen  to  Roskilde.  Visited 
Cathedral,  fine;  also  chapel  with  tombs.  In  evening 
to  Odense. 

Sat.,  5  Aug.    Odense  to  Hamburg. 

Sun.,  6  Aug.  Drove  round  Hamburg.  Binnen 
and  Aussen  Alster. 

Mon.,  7  Aug.  Hamburg  to  Bremen.  Drove  round 
town;  took  supper  at  Rathskeller. 

Tues.,  8  Aug.    Bremen  to  Cologne. 

Wed.,  9  Aug.  Cologne  to  Homburg,  then  to 
Frankfurt.  Took  supper  at  Palmgarten. 

Thurs.,  10  Aug.    Frankfurt  to  Koln. 

Fri.,  11  Aug.    Koln  to  Brussels. 

Sat.,  12  Aug.  Brussels,  crossed  by  "Calais- 
Douvres"  to  Dover. 


IN    MEMORTAM.  93 

Sun.,  13  Aug.    Went  to  Trinity  Church. 

Mon.,  14  Aug.    Dover  to  London. 

Tues.,  15  Aug.  Visited  South  Kensington  Museum 
and  Kensington  Palace. 

Wed.,  16  Aug.    London  to  Oxford. 

Thurs.,  17  Aug.  At  Bodleian  Library  in  morning. 
Drove  round  town  to  Magdalen,  St.  John's,  Wadham, 
Christ  Church,  Murton,  Corpus,  Worcester. 

Fri.,  18  Aug.   Drove  to  Blenheim  and  through  Park. 

Sat.,  19  Aug.  Walked  through  Baliol,  Trinity 
gardens;  Exeter  Chapel;  saw  Burne- Jones  pictures, 
Lincoln. 

Sun.,  20  Aug.  Went  to  service  at  Christ  Church. 
Walked  through  Broad  walk,  Meadows,  Queen's, 
All  Souls,  Brazenoze. 

Mon.,  21  Aug.  Oxford  to  Leamington.  Drove 
through  Lord  Leigh's  Park,  very  fine.  Stoneleigh 
Abbey. 

Tues.,  22  Aug.  Drove  through  Stoneleigh  to 
Coventry.  Back  to  Kenilworth,  Grey's  Cliff  and 
Warwick.  St.  Mary's  Church,  Beauchamp  Chapel. 

Wed.,  23  Aug.  Drove  to  Warwick  Castle  and 
Stratford  on  Avon.  On  to  Shottery,  Anne  Hathe- 
way's  Cottage,  to  Charlcote  Park,  Church  at 
Hampton  Lucy,  back  through  Barford. 

Thurs.,  24  Aug.  Leamington  via  Birmingham  to 
Liverpool. 

Sat. ,  26  Aug.     Sailed  on  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Campania. 

Fri.,  1  Sept.    Arrived  New  York,  9.30  P.  M, 


94  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

1900. 

Sat.,  16  June.     Philadelphia  to  Saratoga. 

Mon.,  18  June.    Saratoga  to  Montreal. 

Thurs.,  21  June.  Left  Montreal,  9.30  A.  M. 
on  sleeping  car  "Lorraine,"  on  C.  P.  R.  Porter 
John  Brown. 

Fri.,  22  June.  Traveled  along  north  shore  of  Lake 
Superior. 

Sat.,  23  June.    Crossed  the  prairies. 

Sun.,  24  June.  Crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Dined  at  Glacier  House.  Crossed  the  Selkirks. 
Met  Mr.  Cambie,  Chief  Engineer  of  West  division 
of  C.  P.  R. 

Mon.,  25  June.  Breakfasted  at  North  Bend 
House.  Arrived  Vancouver,  1.30  P.  M. 

Thurs.,  28  June.  Vancouver.  Drove  round  Park. 
Saw  " Big  Trees." 

Fri.,  29  June.  Ride  to  Fairview  and  Mount 
Pleasant:  fine  view  of  Vancouver. 

Mon.,  2  July.  Vancouver  via  Seattle  to 
Tacoma. 

Mon.,  9  July.  On  steamer  " Queen"  to  Seattle. 
Left,  11  P.  M. 

Tues.,  10  July.  M.  very  sick,  so  she  and  I  landed 
at  Victoria  at  6.30  A.  M. 

Wed.,  11  July.  Visited  Navy  Yard  at  Esquimalt. 
Saw  the  "Arethusa"  in  dry  dock. 

Thurs.,  12  July.    To  Oak  Bay  and  back. 

Sun.,  15  July.    To  Beacon  Hill. 


IN    MEMORIAM.  95 

Wed.,  18  July.  Drove  through  Gorge,  Burnside 
Road,  Rockland  Avenue,  etc. 

Fri.,  20  July.  E.  and  W.  arrived  1.30  A.  M.  from 
Alaska. 

Sat.,  21  July.  Went  to  Chinatown  Joss  House, 
very  interesting. 

Sun.,  22  July.  Drove  through  Beacon  Hill  Park, 
round  beaches  to  Oak  Bay. 

Tues.,  24  July.    Victoria  to  Tacoma. 

Wed.,  25  July.    Tacoma  to  Portland. 

Thurs.,  26  July.  Drive  to  Woodlawn  and  Wil 
lamette  Heights. 

Sat.,  28  July.  Left  Portland  at  8.30  A.  M.  on 
sleeping  car. 

Sun.,  29  July.    Arrived  San  Francisco,  8  P.  M. 

Mon.,  30  July.  Went  out  to  Point  Lobos  and  saw 
the  sea  lions,  the  Golden  Gate  and  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

Tues.,  31  July.  To  Mission  Dolores.  To  Presidio 
Reservation,  fine  view  of  Golden  Gate. 

Wed.,  1  Aug.    San  Francisco  to  Del  Monte. 

Thurs.,  2  Aug.  Went  to  Monterey.  Saw  old 
Spanish  Custom  House,  and  flag  pole  on  which  first 
American  flag  was  raised. 

Fri.,  3  Aug.  To  Santa  Cruz  and  "Big  Trees." 
Drove  back  to  Santa  Cruz,  and  by  train  to  Del 
Monte. 

Sat.,  4  Aug.  Took  "17  mile  drive"  through 
Monterey,  Pacific  Grove,  Moss  Beach,  Cypress 
Point,  etc. 


96  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

Mon.,  6  Aug.     Del  Monte  to  San  Francisco. 

Wed.,  8  Aug.    Left  San  Francisco  8  P.  M. 

Thurs.,  9  Aug.  En  route  on  Southern  Pacific 
R.  R.  Mt.  Shasta  Route. 

Fri.,  10  Aug.    Arrived  Portland,  7.15  A.  M. 

Sat.,  11  Aug.    Portland  to  Tacoma. 

Fri.,  17  Aug.    Tacoma  to  Vancouver. 

Wed.,  22  Aug.     Vancouver  to  North  Bend. 

Sat.,  25  Aug.  Arrived  Glacier,  8.30  A.  M.,  where 
found  E.  and  W.  Had  breakfast.  Snow  from 
Field  to  Calgary;  very  fine. 

Sun.,  26  Aug.    On  C.  P.  R.  across  prairies. 

Mon.,  27  Aug.    Along  Lake  Superior. 

Tues.,  28  Aug.    Arrived  Montreal,  6.10  P.  M. 

Mon.,  3  Sept.    Montreal  to  Crawford  House. 

1901. 

Sat.,  4  May.  Sailed  on  Cunard  R.  M.  S.  Lu- 
cania. 

Sat.,  11  May.  Arrived  Liverpool,  8.45  A.  M. 
On  to  London. 

Sun.,  12  May.  Went  to  Westminster  Abbey  to 
service  in  afternoon. 

Mon.,  13  May.    London  to  Dover. 

Tues.,  14  May.  Dover  via  Calais  to  Brussels. 

Fri.,  17  May.    Brussels  to  Paris. 

Sun.,  19  May.    Went  to  service  at  FOratoire. 

Thurs.,  23  May.  To  Chantilly  and  back.  Vis 
ited  Chateau  and  Pare.  Saw  Chateau  de  la  Reine 
Blanche. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  97 

Thurs.,  6  June.  Left  Paris,  8.20  P.  M.,  by 
sleeping  car. 

Fri.,  7  June.    Arrived  Homburg. 

Sun.,  28  July.    Homburg  to  Gotha. 

Mon.,  29  July.  Drove  round  Gotha.  On  to 
Weimar.  Drove  round  Weimar.  Visited  Library. 
Homes  and  tomb  of  Schiller  and  Goethe. 

Tues.,  30  July.     Weimar  to  Dresden. 

Sat.,  10  Aug.  Dresden.  During  our  stay  here 
have  visited  picture  gallery  several  times,  been  to 
Porcelain  Collection,  and  driven  about  a  great  deal, 
to  Moritzburg  and  other  places.  Dr.  Peschel  dined 
with  us  once. 

Sun.,  11  Aug.  Dresden,  via  Leipzig,  Halle, 
Hildesheim  and  Hannover  to  Bremen. 

Mon.,  12  Aug.  Bremen  via  Leer  and  Nieweschanz 
to  Groningen. 

Tues.,  13  Aug.  Groningen  to  Leeuwarden. 
Drove  round  town. 

Wed.,  14  Aug.  Leeuwarden  via  Zwolle  and 
Utrecht  to  Amsterdam. 

Fri.,  16  Aug.  Amsterdam  to  Hoorn.  Drove 
round.  Then  by  train  to  Enkhuisen  and  back  to 
Amsterdam. 

Sat.,  17  Aug.  Left,  10.15  A.  M.  for  Marken  via 
canal  passing  Broeck  and  Monnikendam.  Back 
at  4.30  P.  M.  Lovely  excursion. 

Mon.,  19  Aug.    Amsterdam  to  Brussels. 

Thurs.,  22  Aug.    Brussels  via  Calais  to  Dover. 


98  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Fri.,  23  Aug.  Drove  to  Dover  Castle  and  along 
Marine  Parade. 

Mon.,  26  Aug.    Dover  to  London. 

Tues.,  27  Aug.  Visited  Wallace  Collection,  Hert 
ford  House. 

Wed.,  28  Aug.    To  National  Gallery. 

Thurs.,  29  Aug.    To  British  Museum,  Library. 

Sat.,  31  Aug.    London  to  Leamington. 

Tues.,  3  Sept.  Lunched  at  Warwick  arid  took  tea 
down  by  the  Castle. 

Wed.,  4  Sept.  Leamington  to  Lichfield.  Visited 
Cathedral,  Dr.  Johnson's  house,  St.  Chad's  Church. 
Then  to  Chester. 

Thurs.,  5  Sept.  Chester.  Drove  to  Eaton 
Hall;  through  Park  to  Ha  war  den. 

Fri.,  6  Sept.     Chester  to  Liverpool. 

Sat.,  7  Sept.  Sailed  on  Cunard  R.  M.  S. 
Lucania. 

Sat.,  14  Sept.  Arrived  New  York,  8.30  A.  M. 
To  Philadelphia.  Mr.  McKinley  died  this  morning. 

1902. 

Sat.,  7  June.     Sailed  per  Cunard  S.  S.  Lucania. 

Sat.,  14  June.  Arrived  Liverpool,  11  A.  M. 
Arrived  Edinburgh,  6.05  P.  M. 

Sun.,  15  June.  Edinburgh.  To  Service  at  St. 
Giles,  John  Knox's  church.  Drove  round  Arthur's 
Seat,  through  Canongate,  High  St.,  Lawn  Market, 
etc. 


IN    MEMORIAM.  99 

Mon.,  16  June.  Holyrood  Palace,  St.  Giles, 
Castle,  drove  through  town. 

Tues.,  17  June.    Edinburgh  to  London. 

Wed.,  18  June.    London  to  Dover. 

Thurs.,  19  June.    Dover  via  Calais  to  Paris. 

Sun.,  22  June.  Went  to  the  Temple  de  FOratoire. 
Also  to  Louvre  to  see  Venus  de  Milo. 

Fri.,  27  June.    Left  Paris  by  Carlsbad  Express. 

Sat.,  28  June.    Arrived  Homburg. 

Wed.,  16  July.  Visited  the  Saalburg  with  Miss 
Baer.  Herr  Jacobi  showed  us  the  new  things 
found  in  the  ruins. 

Tues.,  5  Aug.     Homburg  to  Freiburg  in  Breisgau. 

Wed.,  6  Aug.  Spent  day  at  Titisee,  very  pretty 
excursion. 

Thurs.,  7  Aug.    Freiburg  via  Bale  to  Neuhausen. 

Fri.,  8  Aug.    Went  to  Singen  with  E. 

Sat.,  9  Aug.    Went  to  Schaffhausen. 

Sat.,  16  Aug.  Neuhausen  via  Schaffhausen, 
Zurich  and  Bellinzona  to  Locarno. 

Sun.,  17  Aug.  Locarno.  Walked  around  old 
town:  fine  day:  Madonna  del  Sasso  very  pictur 
esque  in  distance. 

Tues.,  19  Aug.  Locarno  via  Bellinzona,  Arth  and 
Goldau  to  Lucerne. 

Thurs.,  21  Aug.  Excursion  to  Stanstad,  Stans 
and  Engelberg,  lovely  ride. 

Fri.,  22  Aug.  Lucerne.  Took  drive  round  town, 
through  Horw,  Kastanienbaum  and  back. 


100  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

Sat.,  23  Aug.  Visited  Lion  and  Panorama  des 
Alpes,  very  good;  old  bridges  and  walls. 

Sun.,  24  Aug.  To  Hochdorf  and  back.  Saw 
play  of  "  Arnold  von  Winkelried,"  acted  by  the 
people  of  Hochdorf;  local,  very  creditable. 

Mon.,  25  Aug.  Left  9.50  P.  M.  per  Engadine 
Express. 

Tues.,  26  Aug.    Arrived  Paris,  8.40  A.  M. 

Wed.,  27  Aug.  Visited  the  Musee  du  Luxem 
bourg. 

Thurs.,  28  Aug.    Visited  Musee  du  Louvre. 

Sat.,  30  Aug.    Paris  via  Calais  to  Dover. 

Tues.,  2  Sept.    Dover  to  London. 

Thurs.,  4  Sept.    National  Gallery. 

Fri.,  5  Sept.     City  and  St.  Paul's. 

Sun.,  7  Sept.    Drove  to  Kew:   visited  Gardens. 

Mon.,  8  Sept.    London  to  Buxton. 

Tues.,  9  Sept.  Train  to  Rowsley.  Visited 
Haddon  Hall  and  Chatsworth:  drove  to  Bakewell: 
train  to  Buxton. 

Wed.,  10  Sept.    Buxton  to  Liverpool. 

Thurs.,  11  Sept.  Liverpool  to  Methley,  York 
shire,  [the  home  of  the  Shippens],  by  train.  Walked 
past  Church  of  St.  Oswald,  to  Rectory,  where  we 
lunched  with  Rev.  and  Mrs.  H.  Armstrong  Hall. 
Drove  to  Leeds:  by  train  to  Liverpool. 

Sat.,  13  Sept.    Sailed  on  Cunard  S.  S.  Lucania. 

Sat.,  20  Sept.    Arrived  New  York,  10  A.  M. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  101 


V. 

LETTERS    FROM    NORWAY,  SWEDEN,  RUSSIA  AND 
GERMANY. 

1881. 

The  journey  on  which  these  letters  were  written 
was  made  by  my  sister  and  myself.  We  left  Phila 
delphia  on  28  May  on  the  American  Line  S.  S. 
"Illinois,"  landed  at  Liverpool  on  8  June,  and 
went  via  Lincoln  and  York  to  Hull,  whence  we 
sailed  on  10  June  on  the  S.  S.  " Cameo"  of  the 
Wilson  Line,  reaching  Christiania  on  13  June. 
Thence  we  went  by  rail  to  Throndhjem,  after 
which  our  trip,  up  to  our  departure  from  Moscow, 
is  described  in  my  sister's  letters  to  my  mother. 

On  board  S.  S.  Michael  Krohn  en  route  for  the  North 

Cape,  June  20,  1881. 

I  finished  my  Throndhjem  letter  in  rather  a 
hurry,  for  I  did  not  know  that  we  should  not  leave 
there  until  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  such 
was  the  case.  The  steamer  did  not  arrive  until 
two  o'clock  P.  M.  We  left  at  1  A.  M.  and  did 
not  go  to  bed  until  we  had  gone  some  distance  up 
the  fjord.  We  walked  about  on  shore  for  about 
two  hours  before  we  left.  You  cannot  imagine 
how  curious  it  was  to  walk  about  by  daylight  one 
may  say,  for  the  sun  did  not  set  until  after  ten, 


102  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

and  then  after  the  sunset  tints  had  almost  died 
out,  the  sunrise  ones  began.  It  was  most  beauti 
ful,  although  not  so  beautiful  as  the  one  we  saw 
this  morning — however,  I  must  not  anticipate,  so 
I  will  resume  the  thread  of  my  discourse.  We 
passed  our  time  at  Throndhjem  quite  happily.  We 
had  seen  everything  so  we  wandered  round  a  little 
more,  and  watched  the  people.  I  think  I  stopped 
just  as  we  were  leaving  for  Munkholme,  i.  e., 
Monk's  Home,  the  old  fort  in  the  harbor.  We 
had  a  lovely  row  thither  and  then  found  a  soldier 
(he  was  the  Corporal,  for  you  must  know  that  the 
garrison  consists  of  six  men,  a  corporal  and  a 
captain)  who  showed  us  round.  They  used  to 
have  a  prison  there,  but  it  is  now  converted  into 
a  powder-magazine,  round  and  over  and  through 
which  we  walked.  We  saw  the  prison  of  one  of 
Christian  V.'s  ministers,  who  was  imprisoned  there 
for  eighteen  years:  it  must  have  been  a  most 
cheerful  abode. 

I  have  just  succeeded  in  finding  out  this  can  be 
posted  at  Bodo,  some  time  tonight:  if  one  can 
say  night,  when  daylight  continues  all  the  time. 
But  it  has  reference  to  the  hours  after  midday: 
we  can  then  say  night  just  as  well  as  at  any  other 
time  in  this  country:  you  cannot  imagine  how 
strange  it  is.  Well  now,  something,  not  much, 
about  our  fellow  passengers.  They  are  mostly 
uninteresting.  Almost  all  are  Norwegian.  There 


IN   MEMORIAM.  103 

is  one  old  Englishman,  who  is  very  nice:  and  one 
young  one,  whom  we  have  dubbed  " Carrots" 
owing  to  his  auburn?  hair  and  beard:  a  Dutch 
man,  who  is  most  irrepressible:  these,  with  the 
exception  of  Mrs.  Hulton  and  Miss  Meeking,  con 
stitute  all  those  with  whom  we  can  have  much  to 
say.  With  some  of  the  others  we  can  and  we  do 
occasionally  exchange  a  few  words,  but  they  are 
not  proficient  in  our  tongue,  and  we  are  woefully 
deficient  in  theirs.  There  is  a  dear  little  boy  on 
board,  whom  we  call  "the  small  Viking. "  I  talk 
to  him  in  English  and  he  gazes  at  me  in  bewilder 
ment.  I  made  him  say  some  English  words  this 
morning,  and  he  was  very  funny  over  them. 

But  you  must  be  longing  to  hear  about  the 
scenery.  It  is  beautiful  and  all  the  more  so  for  the 
great  quantity  of  snow  that  still  lies  over  not  only 
the  mountain  tops,  but  also  all  down  the  sides. 
Today  we  saw  a  most  wonderful  reflection  of  them 
in  the  water.  It  is  now  four  o'clock  and  I  am  as 
hungry  as  possible.  There  goes  the  dinner  bell. 
Rah!  Rah!  Rah! 

After  dinner — We  were  so  hungry  that  the  grub 
tasted  very  good:  besides  some  of  it  was  very 
good:  cold  salmon  with  cream  and  horse-radish 
sauce.  Well,  this  must  be  ready  soon.  We  are 
unloading  part  of  our  cargo.  Ed.  is  sketching:  he 
made  quite  a  pretty  sketch  this  morning,  when  we 
stopped  for  half  an  hour.  We  have  come  to  the 


104  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

conclusion  that  they  are  gradually  working  our 
meals  round  so  that  when  we  get  to  the  North 
Cape  we  shall  regularly  turn  night  into  day.  Any 
how  we  shall  not  [go]  to  bed  until  three  or  after, 
for  we  then  enter  the  Arctic  Circle  and  pass  the 
rock  called  the  Horseman. 

Last  night  or  rather  this  morning  we  were  up 
until  2J^.  I  slept  until  10,  breakfasted  at  11, 
every  one  did.  We  arrived  at  Troghatta,  the 
pierced  mountain,  at  10  P.  M.,  and  went  ashore 
in  boats  and  started  up,  returning  at  1J/2.  The 
ship  sailed  down  the  fjord  and  came  back  for  us, 
so  we  had  to  wait  a  little  for  her,  which  we  did 
sitting  on  the  heather.  We  built  a  fire  and  made 
ourselves  comfortable.  Ed.  took  good  care  of  me, 
helping  me  both  up  and  down,  and  we  looked 
through  the  natural  tunnel  that  is  way  up  in  the 
mountain.  It  was  most  curious  and  quite  beau 
tiful,  and  the  sunset  was  gorgeous,  as  also  the  sun 
rise.  Today  the  scenery  has  been  most  lovely  and 

the  trip  as  smooth  as  possible. 
******* 

ELISE. 

En  route  for  North  Cape,  22  June  1881. 

News  has  just  reached  me  that  this  may  be 
posted  at  our  next  stopping  place,  so,  despite  the 
noise  of  the  donkey  engine,  I  will  endeavor  to 
scrawl  a  few  lines  to  tell  you  of  our  welfare  thus 


IN   MEMORIAM.  105 

far.  We  are  now  laying  in  the  harbor  of  Stockaness, 
where  a  large  fair  is  being  held.  We  went  on  shore 
to  see,  landing  in  the  most  peculiar  wray,  scrambling 
from  one  boat  into  the  other.  It  was  anything 
but  an  easy  journey.  I  must  have  looked  lovely, 
for  I  had  on  my  old  black  hat,  round  which  I  had 
gracefully  wound  my  thick  blue  veil,  and  my 
mackintosh  with  the  hood  drawn  over  my  head!! 
Picture  me,  pray,  and  holding  up  my  skirts  to 
save  them  from  dipping  into  the  wet.  There  was 
one  comfort:  Mrs.  Hulton  looked  just  as  funny  if 
not  funnier,  for  her  mackintosh  has  a  pointed  hood, 
and  the  point  wagged  to  and  fro  when  she  moved, 
and  Miss  Meeking  was  also  enveloped  in  a  mackin 
tosh.  It  was  and  alas  it  is  still  raining.  But  our 
struggles  to  land  were  nothing  compared  to  those 
that  we  went  through  when  we  wished  to  return  to 
the  ship,  which  has  now  become  a  haven  of  rest 
to  us.  Ed.  had  gone  for  a  stroll,  but  after  many 
efforts  we  succeeded  in  finding  a  man:  he  was  very 
handsome  by  the  way:  a  most  pensive  face  with 
blue  eyes,  fair  hair  and  beard,  a  most  perfect  type 
of  Lohengrin.  He  volunteered  to  find  us  a  boat 
and  did  so.  I  scrambled  down  the  steps  of  the  pier 
and  turning  round  saw  Miss  Meeking  supported  by 
two  hardy  Norsemen:  she  had  grabbed  one  by  the 
arm  and  insisted  on  his  helping  her  down  the  steps 
whereupon  the  other  had  offered  his  services. 
Again  we  had  to  scramble  over  boats,  some  filled 


106  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

with  stockfish.  0!  you  happy  creature,  you  do 
not  know  the  blissful  (?)  odor  which  emanates 
from  the  above  article.  Then  we  started  on  our 
shipwards  journey.  We  landed  safely  on  board 
and  then  the  joyful  tidings  reached  me  that  I 
might  possibly  send  you  this,  so  without  delay  I 
sat  myself  down.  The  fair  was  quite  funny,  rather 
muddy,  rather  fishy,  but  still  well  worth  seeing. 
We  saw  a  Lapp  in  his  dress :  he  was  quite  small  and 
with  white  hair.  I  invested  in  a  silver  thimble 
with  an  amethyst  top  to  it,  for  which  I  paid  the 
high  price  of  70  cents.  But  I  must  not  forget  to 
tell  you  that  night  before  last  was  most  beautiful. 
We  saw  the  midnight  sun:  the  Hestmanno  or 
Horseman,  a  queer  shaped  rock,  passed  the  Arctic 
Circle  and  the  largest  glacier  in  Europe.  We 
stayed  up  until  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
then  I  hated  to  turn  in,  but  it  was  necessary  to 
sleep.  We  stayed  up  on  the  bridge  until  quite 
late  and  then  on  deck.  I  wish  that  I  could  tell 
you  how  very  beautiful  the  mountains  were, 
rising  on  all  sides,  the  queer  shapes,  etc.,  most 
covered  with  snow:  and  then  the  sun  not  setting 
but  going  down  to  the  verge  of  the  horizon  tinting 
them  with  the  loveliest  colors.  Then  about  half 
past  three  we  turned  into  a  dear  little  bay  shel 
tered  by  these  snow  capped  mountains.  On  one 
side  of  the  boat  everything  looked  sunny,  and  on 
the  other  stern,  cold  and  forbidding.  I  can  now 


IN   MEMORIAM.  107 

quite  understand  why  all  the  Northern  mythology 
is  so  severe  and  stern.  Last  night  it  was  cloudy 
but  the  light  was  wonderful.  It  was  silvery,  neither 
night  nor  day,  and  the  far  off  isles  with  mountains 
looked  so  mysterious  in  the  distance.  We  stayed 
up  late:  12.30.  Indeed  we  stay  up  at  night  and 
sleep  sometimes  during  the  day.  We  breakfast 
any  time  from  10  to  11:  dine  from  4  to  6:  and  sup 
at  9-10  etc.  Altogether  our  life  is  most  erratic. 
My  sofa-bed  is  rather  narrow,  but  I  sleep  very 
well.  The  donkey  engine  occasionally  disturbs  my 
slumbers,  but  altogether  I  derive  a  great  deal  of 
amusement  from  the  scene.  There  is  a  Hamburg 
merchant  on  board  with  whom  we  have  German 
conversations:  he  has  just  offered  me  some  bon 
bons  from  the  fair.  They  are  not  as  good  as  Whit 
man's:  to  say  nothing  of  Arnauld's. 

******* 

ELISE. 

TVowso,    26   June    1881.     De   retour   du   Nordkap. 

Here  we  are  at  anchor  for  some  two  to  three 
hours,  part  of  which  I  propose  to  spend  in  recapit 
ulating  to  you  our  experiences  of  the  past  few  days. 
I  think  that  I  wrote  to  Grandpapa  on  Thursday, 
but  it  might  have  been  Friday.  It  is  so  hard  to 
mark  the  days  in  anyway.  Yes,  it  must  have 
been  Thursday,  for  Friday  we  pitched  and  tossed 
frightfully.  I  woke  up  quite  sick  and  was  wretched 


108  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

all  day.  I  could  not  get  warm  and  as  my  cabin 
is  a  cold  one  and  the  day  and  night  were  bitter,  the 
Captain  gave  me  his  for  the  evening  and  the  night. 
At  first  I  just  laid  on  the  sofa  covered  up  with 
shawls  and  drinking  champagne  and  eating  bis 
cuits.  Then  when  we  arrived  at  the  North  Cape, 
I  went  up  on  deck  and  Mrs.  Hulton,  Miss  Meeking 
and  I  staid  in  the  smoking  room,  with  the  old 
Englishman,  whilst  Ed.  (American),  the  Cap 
tain  (Norwegian),  Mr.  Kol  (Dutch),  Mr.  Walker 
(English)  and  a  Swede,  whom  we  call  "the  Shep- 
pard" — as  his  friend  looks  like  a  sheep  and  is  nick 
named  "the  Lamb "•  —  went  off  to  climb  the  North 
Cape.  It  was  hailing  when  they  started,  never 
theless  we  persevered  in  watching  them  land  and 
then  scramble  up  through  the  snow  until  the  jutting 
rocks  hid  them  from  our  sight.  Then  we  went 
inside  and  waited  for  them  to  reappear,  which 
they  did  after  some  time  sliding  down  on  the  snow. 
Then  the  boat  went  off  for  them,  with  beer,  and 
brought  them  back  to  have  some  warm  coffee  and 
hot  water  and  whiskey,  and  also  some  eatables. 
It  snowed  a  great  deal  but  they  enjoyed  the  climb: 
Ed.  said  that  it  was  glorious.  He  brought  some 
flowers  down  with  him,  of  which  he  gave  me  some- 
he  is  making  a  collection  of  Norwegian  flowers  to 
take  home — and  showed  them  with  a  very  happy  air. 
You  have  no  idea  how  grand  the  North  Cape 
looked  covered  with  snow  and  in  its  wild,  savage 


IN    MEMORIAM.  109 

grandeur.  And  to  be  there  at  midnight!  I  got 
my  skirts  drenched,  so  they  spent  the  night  in  the 
engine  room,  as  also  my  boots  and  my  ulster.  But 
I  am  none  the  worse  for  my  snowy  night:  on  the 
contrary  I  slept  until  eleven  o'clock  the  next  morn 
ing.  Then  I  arose  and  went  to  my  cabin  to  dress 
arousing  Miss  Meeking  who  had  slept  in  the  ladies 
cabin,  and  she  went  in  and  waked  up  Mrs.  Hulton 
who  inquired  the  time,  and  when  told  said  "  morn 
ing  or  evening"  and  when  told  evening,  fully  be 
lieved  the  statement  until  enlightened  by  our 
laughter.  I  think  that  that  will  give  you  a  good 
idea  of  how  daylight  runs  on.  Yesterday  we  landed 
at  a  queer  little  fishing  village  and  watched  the 
boys  playing  a  game,  half  base  ball  and  half  round 
ers,  which  they  seemed  to  greatly  enjoy.  Then  we 
saw  the  most  glorious  sunset  lights.  We  did  not 
see  the  sun,  for  clouds  hid  it  from  view,  but  occa 
sionally  its  rays  pierced  through  the  gloom. 
Today  is  most  glorious  so  we  expect  to  see  the  full 
glory  of  the  midnight  light.  Ed.  has  bought  a 
superb  white  bear  skin,  which  is  packed  up  in  a 
tarred  box.  You  will  admire  it  when  we  return. 
I  want  to  get  some  silver  fox,  if  not  too  dear,  at 
Bergen:  but  we  shall  see.  I  had  an  eiderduck  egg 
given  to  me  yesterday;  it  is  a  light  green  with  dark 
spots  all  over  it,  and  very  pretty.  Tromso  is  a 
quaint  old  fashioned  looking  place:  quite  a  num 
ber  of  the  houses  are  built  on  piles  and  stand  over 


110  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

the  water.  It  stands  at  the  head  of  a  small  fjord: 
all  the  mountains  round  are  covered  with  snow, 
and  are  most  beautiful.  I  hope  that  you  admire 
this  paper.  I  bought  it  here  as  my  supply  was 
growing  short.  I  also  bought  some  photographs  of 

the  Lapps. 
******* 

ELISE. 

Molde,  3  July  1881. 

We  start  for  Aak  and  Veblungsnaes  in  about 
three  quarters  of  an  hour,  so  I  will  profit  by  these 
few  minutes  to  write  you  a  few  lines,  which  shall 
be  added  to  at  Aak.  Just  after  I  had  closed  my 
letter  on  Friday  we  arrived  at  Christiansund,  a 
most  beautifully,  most  picturesquely  situated  little 
place  and  recalling  Sorrento  a  little.  We  went  on 
shore  and  wandered  round:  saw  an  old  church 
of  the  12th  century  and  a  very  pretty  little 
park,  where  some  good  singing  was  going  on. 
We  left  there  about  midnight,  then  after  settling 
accounts  we  went  to  bed  and  got  up  at  4J^>  and 
landed  here  at  5  A.  M.  A  nice  old  boatman  rowed 
us  over  here.  The  Captain  handed  me  down  to 
the  boat  and  we  waved  farewell  to  him  and  Mrs. 
Hulton  and  Miss  Meeking  as  we  rowed  off.  Here 
we  had  some  nice  coffee  and  eggs  and  then  turned 
in  and  slept  until  one  o'clock,  when  we  each  had  a 
tub  of  warm  water. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  Ill 

Hotel  Aak,  Tuesday  5  July. 

Here  I  was  interrupted  by  the  steamboat's 
whistle  and  I  had  to  put  my  things  up  quickly:  so 
I  resume.  We  had  dinner  at  two  at  which  a  gen 
tleman  appeared:  being  the  only  lady,  I  spoke  to 
him,  and  then  Ed.  and  he  entered  into  conversa 
tion.  He  proved  to  be  a  Belgian  from  Gand,  by  the 
name  of  Fieve,  had  travelled  a  good  deal  and  was 
quite  pleasant.  Much  to  my  amusement  he  took 
me  for  Ed.'s  wife  and  called  me  Madame.  After 
dinner  we  took  a  walk  down  the  road  to  a  pretty 
villa  belonging  to  some  consul  who  lives  at  Chris- 
tiansund.  It  was  very  pleasant,  the  road  was 
good  and  the  view  lovely.  After  tea  we  took  an 
other  stroll,  this  time  to  a  little  hill  back  of  the 
house.  The  evening  was  rather  overcast  which 
was  unfortunate,  but  still  the  view  was  lovely. 
Next  morning  it  poured,  so  we  slept  rather  late  and 
then  instead  of  going  to  Alfarness  and  thence  driv 
ing  to  Veblungsnaes,  we  took  the  steamer  for  the 
latter  place.  There  were  only  Norwegians  on 
board,  some  officers  one  of  whom  talked  German 
to  Ed.  and  made  himself  quite  agreeable.  The 
scenery  as  we  came  along  was  lovely,  always  very 
wild.  At  Veblungsnaes  we  found  the  carrioles  that 
we  had  telegraphed  for,  so  we  got  in  and  started 
for  Aak  (pr.  Oak).  Here  we  got  excellent  rooms, 
there  being  but  few  here.  Our  brown  bears  were 
here,  but  they  left  today.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Gor- 


112  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

ham  and  their  party,  whom  we  had  heard  Mrs. 
Gade  speak  of  and  who  seem  very  nice  also  were 
here :  unfortunately  they  left  yesterday.  An  English 
man  and  his  wife  still  remain  and  seem  quite  pleas 
ant:  they  are  evidently  not  well  off  and  have  ap 
parently  come  here  for  his  holiday :  they  are  travel 
ling  slowly.  After  tea  on  Sunday  we  took  a  walk 
down  the  valley  towards  the  Romsdalhorn,  which 
is  very  fine.  There  are  the  greatest  quantity  of 
wild  flowers  all  around  and  such  a  lot  of  lilies  of 
the  valley  you  never  saw,  growing  wild  all  around, 
scenting  the  air  with  their  fragrance.  Ed.  went 
fishing  today  and  caught  four  trout,  three  of  which 
we  had  for  tea:  they  were  delicious:  it  rained 
hard,  but  with  his  mackintosh  he  did  not  mind  it, 
and  then  changed  his  clothes  for  tea.  If  it  is  fine 
tomorrow,  we  are  going  up  the  Romsdal  as  far  as 
Ormein,  but  both  yesterday  and  today  have 
been  rather  unpropitious  for  excursions.  Yester 
day  we  walked  to  Aak  and  found  our  carrioles. 
******* 

ELISE. 

[A  letter  is  missing  here.    It  must  have  described 
our  stay  in  the  Romsdal.] 

Soholdt,  11  July  1881. 

We  have  now  started  on  our  journey  southwards 
to  Bergen.     We  left  Aak  at  six  o'clock  this  morn- 


IN   MEMOEIAM.  113 

ing,  drove  in  our  carrioles  to  Veblungsnaes,  where 
they  were  put  on  board  of  the  steamer  we  took 
to  Vestnaes.  There  we  got  horses  and  drove  here, 
across  a  pass  that  Ed.  says  very  much  resembles 
the  Bernina.  It  was  very  pretty.  I  have  been 
interpreting  for  the  French  lady  and  gentleman, 
who  were  coming  the  [same]  road,  Mr.  and  Mme. 
Morel  Retz.  He  is  known  as  "Stop":  a  very 
clever  caricaturist.  This  place  is  extremely  pretty 
and  we  have  two  very  nice  rooms.  We  had  some 
eggs  and  one  of  our  cans  of  Mulligatawny  soup 
which  Ed.  laughed  at  me  for  buying  and  which  he 
greatly  enjoyed.  He  is  a  queer  genius.  "Oh,  no! 
do  not  get  any  soups,"  but  I  persevered  and  you  do 
not  know  how  he  enjoyed  the  one  I  warmed  up 
today.  The  people  here  seem  to  understand  me 
better  than  they  do  him,  so  I  do  most  of  the  talk 
ing.  When  they  or  I  cannot  understand,  I  laugh; 
but  I  have  learnt  to  ask  for  what  I  want. 

Today  whilst  I  was  getting  the  soup  can  out  of 
our  provision  box,  a  man  came  into  the  stable  and 
asked  me  if  I  came  from  England.  "No,"  I 
answered  "from  America"  (that  means  here  al 
ways  the  United  States).  "Are  many  English 
coming  over  the  road  today?"  "No,"  said  I, 
"two  French."  Then  pointing  to  my  padlock  he 
inquired  "Gold?"  "Yes,"  was  my  answer;  then 
he  remained  and  helped  me  nail  up  the  box  and 
strap  it  on  to  the  carriole.  You  never  saw  such 


114  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

honest  people;  you  can  leave  everything  lying 
round  in  perfect  security.  And  the  night  that 
Ed.  went  up  the  mountain,  I  slept  in  the  new 
house,  which  is  a  good  100  yards  from  the  old  one 
at  Aak,  entirely  alone,  except  the  bookkeeper,  and 
it  was  just  as  safe  as  if  I  had  been  guarded  by 
soldiers.  Yesterday  it  poured  all  day,  so  we  could 
do  nothing,  but  fortunately  it  cleared  up  this 
morning,  and  our  trip  was  lovely.  After  tea  we 
shall  take  a  walk.  Oh!  I  must  not  forget  to  tell 
you  about  Ed.'s  skysdgut,  a  small  boy  of  five  years, 
a  nice  little  fellow  who  was  perched  up  on  the  box 
behind  him;  and  it  did  look  too  comical  to  see 
Ed.  and  this  small  brat,  who  was  to  bring  back 
the  horse.  Now  I  will  stop  and  resume  tomorrow. 
Yesterday  we  saw  the  Daily  News  of  Monday.  I 
was  very  glad  to  see  that  the  President  was  better; 
I  hope  that  he  has  now  entirely  recovered  his 
health:  how  excited  every  one  must  have  been.  I 
am  quite  longing  for  papers  and  news  and  letters, 
and  am  anxiously  awaiting  our  arrival  at  Bergen. 

Faleide  on  the  Nordfjord,  14  July. 
I  suppose  that  I  might  have  written  to  you  last 
night  after  our  arrival  here,  but  first  I  had  to  clean 
myself,  for  I  was  horribly  muddy,  and  then  was  too 
anxious  to  get  to  bed  as  we  contemplated  an  early 
start  at  7,  to  see  the  Glacier  of  Brigsdal  which  is 
near  here  and  said  to  be  very  fine.  However  it  was 
so  rainy  at  6  o'clock  that  we  decided  not  to  go,  so 


IN    MEMORIAM.  115 

after  getting  washed  and  partly  dressed  I  went  to 
bed  again  and  slept  until  ten,  when  I  arose  and  we 
had  breakfast  with  the  French  lady  and  gentlemen 
and  also  a  young  Belgian  and  a  young  Frenchman. 
We  have  all  been  together  for  the  last  three  days 
and  they  are  all  very  pleasant  and  it  is  very  nice 
for  me  to  have  another  lady.  We  shall  separate  on 
Saturday,  as  they  go  to  Floro  and  there  take  the 
steamer  for  Bergen  and,  by  the  way,  will  take  this 
letter  with  them  very  kindly,  so  it  will  get  to  you 
sooner,  while  we  go  overland  to  Vadheim  on  the 
Sognefjord  and  thence  by  steamer  to  Bergen.  But 
I  must  return  to  Soholdt  and  give  you  an  itineraire 
of  my  journey  thence.  12  July  (I  put  the  dates  so 
that  you  may  follow  us  step  by  step).  It  rained, 
but  we  started  and  were  quite  comfortable  on 
the  boat  the  "Lodden."  We  had  an  excellent 
dinner  and  by  and  by  it  cleared  and  the  scenery 
was  superb.  At  Hellesylt,  at  the  end  of  the  Stor- 
fjord,  we  left  our  carrioles  to  wait  there  until  our 
return  there  the  next  day  and  proceeded  to  Merok, 
at  the  end  of  the  Geirangerfjord  which  is  most 
beautiful.  It  is  2J/2  Norwegian  miles  long  or  35 
English  and  the  rocks  are  very  steep.  Here  and 
there  are  farm  houses,  1000  and  more  feet  above 
the  fjord  and  which  are  only  reached  by  steep  and 
long  ascents;  the  path  always  starts  from  a  boat 
house  on  the  fjord  and  there  these  people  live  all 
winter.  At  Merok,  as  the  hotel  was  very  full,  we 


116  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

decided  to  remain  on  the  boat,  and  Mme.  Morel 
and  I,  also  a  Norwegian  lady,  slept  in  the  ladies' 
cabin  very  comfortably.  After  supper  Ed.  and 
the  young  Belgian,  Mr.  Calmeyn,  started  off  for  a 
long  walk  whilst  Mr.  and  Mme.  Morel  and  I,  also 
the  Frenchman,  Mr.  Durant,  took  a  shorter  one  to 
some  cascades,  which  were  beautiful.  We  arose 
next  morning,  13  July,  at  five  and  arrived  at 
Hellesylt  at  half  past  six.  There  we  got  horses, 
and  the  others  horses  and  carrioles,  and  drove 
as  far  as  Grodaas,  where  we  stopped  for  dinner, 
which  was  excellent.  The  scenery  was  very  beauti 
ful,  only  it  poured  just  before  getting  to  Grodaas. 
It  poured  also  part  of  the  way  twixt  there  and  here, 
but  our  mackintoshes  proved  excellent.  Here  we 
are  very  comfortable.  We  have  two  very  nice 
rooms.  Last  evening  we  had  an  excellent  supper 
and  to-day,  15  July,  we  were  going  to  the  Glacier 
of  Brigsdal,  but  it  poured,  so  we  postponed  our 
expedition  until  tomorrow,  when  we  start  at  7 
A.  M.  We  first  row  to  Oldoren,  then  drive,  and  then 
row  across  a  small  lake,  then  ride  on  horseback  and 
then  walk:  we  take  dinner  and  supper  with  us. 
So  we  had  breakfast  at  10^  and  dinner  will  be 
at  six.  I  shall  soon  therefore  have  to  stop  my 
scribbling. 

July  16th. 

We  had  a  pleasant  and  exciting  excursion  to  the 
Brigsdalbrae  (or  glacier)  and  we  are  now  en  route 


IN    MEMORIAM.  117 

for  Udwig.     I  must  darn  my  mackintosh,  so  will 

write  you  a  long  account  from  Bergen. 

******* 

ELISE. 

Hafstad  (Forde)  17  July  1881. 

Little  did  I  foresee  when  I  gave  my  letter  to 
Madame  Morel  yesterday  morning  about  seven 
o'clock  to  post,  what  an  experience  we  were  to  have, 
especially  after  the  one  we  had  just  gone  through. 
Do  not  worry  about  us  though,  we  are  quite  well 
and  do  not  feel  the  effects  of  it  at  all.  Well  this 
must  be  incomprehensible  to  you,  so  I  will  begin 
at  the  beginning. 

You  know  that  I  wrote  to  you  that  we  were 
going  to  the  Brigsdal  glacier  and  I  just  added  a 
few  lines  to  my  letter  to  say  that  we  had  safely 
returned.  Much,  very  much  should  I  have  liked 
to  have  then  sent  you  an  account,  but  there  was  no 
time,  as  you  will  soon  hear:  so  now  to  my  story. 
We  left  Faleide  at  7.30  on  Friday  morning,  July  15. 
"We"  consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mme.  Morel,  Ed. 
and  I,  Mr.  Calmeyn  (Beige)  and  Mr.  Durant 
(Frangais),  and  despite  pouring  rain,  started  for 
Oldoren.  We  were  two  hours  and  a  quarter  rowing 
across  the  fjord,  and  the  rain  stopped,  so  that  we 
landed  at  Oldoren  in  quite  fine  weather.  There  we 
had  to  wait.  Then  we  drove  over  to  the  Olden vand, 
a  most  beautiful  lake.  There  we  got  into  two 


118  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

boats  and  rowed  up  to  the  end  of  the  lake.  There 
we  had  breakfast  or  lunch — we  had  the  provisions 
with  us — and  we  quite  enjoyed  our  repast.  Then 
we  ordered  horses,  but,  as  only  one  was  there  and 
the  others  were  up  the  valley,  we  started  to  walk 
there;  fortunately  I  had  put  on  my  knickerbockers 
and  left  off  my  underskirt.  It  began  to  rain  and 
the  walking  was  awful:  simply  and  solely  fearfully 
wet.  The  one  horse  was  given  to  Mr.  Morel,  who 
had  sprained  his  foot  very  badly.  Ed.  went  ahead 
and  got  a  horse  for  me,  with  nothing,  however,  but  a 
blanket  strapped  on,  for  no  saddles  were  to  be 
had,  and  after  trying  a  few  steps  sideways,  I  re 
solved  to  imitate  Mme.  M.  and  ride  a  calif  our  chon, 
straddle  back.  Mr.  C.  made  a  pair  of  Arab  stir 
rups  for  her  and  also  for  me  so  that  our  feet  were 
covered.  We  rode  for  some  distance,  then  we 
dismounted  and  walked.  It  was  a  rather  hard  walk, 
but  I  have  taken  much  harder  ones  and  the  glacier 
was  most  beautiful,  as  indeed  the  whole  journey 
there.  It  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  things 
that  I  have  ever  seen.  Then  we  walked  and  rode 
back  to  find  the  lake  extremely  agitated  and  our 
rowers  declaring  that  we  must  wait.  A  fire  had 
been  kindled  in  a  stove  in  one  of  the  peasants' 
houses,  and  there  we  went  and  got  some  peasants' 
stockings  and  shoes  and  I  a  skirt  and  apron,  so 
as  to  dry  my  dress  a  little.  The  stockings  and  low 
shoes  I  wore  back  to  Faleide  and  sent  them  back 


IN   MEMORIAM.  119 

to  the  woman.  Every  one  was  in  the  same  box, 
so  nobody  cared.  Mme.  M.  took  off  her  skirt  and 
appeared  in  her  short  black  underskirt.  (By  the 
way  I  am  going  to  have  my  dress  shortened  at 
Bergen,  I  shall  be  so  much  more  comfortable.) 
Then  we  got  at  the  rest  of  our  provisions  and  made 
an  excellent  supper.  When  it  was  over,  Ed.  de 
clared  that  we  could  go  back,  so  he  went  out  and 
interviewed  the  men  and  they  said  we  could.  So 
off  we  started,  this  time  in  three  boats.  We  rowed 
back  very  pleasantly  and  reached  the  end  of  the 
lake  at  half  past  midnight.  Then  we  drove  to 
Oldoren.  There  we  got  into  our  boats  and  rowed 
a  certain  distance  down  the  fjord,  but  it  became 
so  rough  that  we  had  to  land  at  a  fisher's  hut  and 
wait  there  for  a  while.  It  calmed  down  and  we 
started  off  again  and  reached  Faleide  at  5. 

The  boat  we  wanted  to  take  started  at  6.30  and 
as  we  had  sent  forbud  for  horses  and  did  not  want 
to  wait  and  so  forfeit  them,  we  dressed  and  packed 
up,  had  some  breakfast  and  took  the  steamer. 
Mr.  and  Mme.  M.  came  by  her  to  Moldoen  and 
thence  to  Bergen.  But  Ed.  and  I,  and  Mr.  C.  and 
Mr.  D.  got  off  at  Udvig  and  started  in  our  carrioles 
for  Red.  Soon  I  had  to  descend  for  we  began  to 
ascend  the  most  stupendous  hill  and  through  the 
woods.  It  was  an  awful  walk  and  then  it  rained. 
It  was  very  muddy  and  unfortunately  I  had  put  on 
my  dry  shoes  and  rubbers.  I  say  unfortunately  for 


120  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

soon  they  were  wringing  wet  and  I  might  just  as 
well  have  had  on  the  wet  ones.  Then  when  we  got 
to  the  top  and  the  carrioles  joined  us,  we  found  that 
one  of  my  springs  was  broken:  fortunately  Mr.  D. 
knew  a  great  deal  about  springs  so  he  tied  it 
together  and  I  then  got  in  and  we  came  down. 
It  poured  coming  down,  simply  pelted,  but  we  had 
glimpses  of  most  lovely  scenery.  We  got  to  Red 
and  found  our  boat  awaiting  us.  We  got  in  and 
began  our  lunch.  After  that  it  rained  and  when  we 
got  to  Forde  at  the  other  end  of  the  lake  we  thought 
of  stopping,  but  then  decided  to  go  on.  So  off 
we  started;  for  a  while  it  was  fine  and  then  down 
came  the  rain  again.  Ed.  in  his  carriole  and  Mr.  C. 
and  Mr.  D.  in  the  stolkjaer  slept  and,  as  they  were 
ahead  of  me,  I  could  see  their  heads  bobbing  about. 
Finally  we  reached  Aardal  and  then  decided  to 
stop  there  if  they  could  take  us  in:  we  were  too 
wet  and  tired  to  go  any  further.  They  had  two 
rooms,  one  of  which  I  had  to  myself,  with  a  clean 
straw  bed  covered  with  peasants'  blankets. 

Bergen,  19  July. 

I  must  break  off  my  description  to  tell  you  how 
delighted  I  was  to  receive  your  letters  this  morn 
ing  up  to  the  28th  June.  *  *  *  Bergen  is 
quite  interesting  and  the  silver  things  are  beautiful. 
I  have  bought  an  exquisite  silver  belt.  I  got  quite 
a  pretty  one,  but  of  a  different  kind  at  Faleide.  I 
have  also  three  very  pretty  brooches  for  the  ser- 


IN   MEMORIAM.  121 

vants.  I  cannot  quite  make  up  my  mind,  whether 
I  shall  or  shall  not  get  some  silver  fox.  It  is  cer 
tainly  very  pretty,  but  rather  expensive,  and 
whether  I  need  it  or  not  I  do  not  know:  I  shall 
see.  Mme.  Morel  tells  me  that  black  is  very  much 
worn  in  Paris  and  has  given  me  several  good  ad 
dresses.  She  has  a  good  many  ideas  and  French 
women  generally  have  good  taste.  Today  I  bought 
a  blue  felt  hat  for  90  cents  and  tied  my  old  dark 
blue  foulard  round  it:  it  looks  quite  fine.  My 
old  black  one  has  gone  to  pieces  and  a  felt  hat  is 
useful,  and  it  will  do  to  travel  in  later:  that  is  to 
say  if  it  is  not  drowned  before  then.  But  both  my 
dresses,  the  dark  blue  and  the  grey  and  white  stripe 
will  stay  in  Norway;  also  two  pairs  of  shoes.  Still 
I  think  that  it  is  a  beautiful  country  and  when 
one  has  fine  weather  like  today  one  enjoys  it  im 
mensely. 

Now  after  this  long  digression,  which  has  been 
written  by  snatches,  I  will  return  to  Aardal  and  tell 
you  more  about  our  adventures.  Ed.,  Mr.  C.  and 
Mr.  D.  had  another  room  together  with  one  large 
and  one  small  straw  bed.  I  had  a  tin  pan  to  wash 
in  and  a  small  piece  of  linen  for  a  towel;  the  men 
had  to  go  to  the  pump.  I  got  out  my  other  dress 
and  borrowed  some  stockings  and  shoes,  and 
started  to  make  soup  and  tea.  I  took  one  of  our 
Mulligatawny  soups,  added  some  Liebig  and  made 
a  good  soup.  Then  we  washed  the  kettle,  boiled 


122  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

water  and  made  tea  in  a  bottle,  which  we  drank 
without  sugar  or  cream  or  even  milk.  I  found  it 
good.  Fortunately  we  had  also  some  provisions 
over  from  our  dinner  and  they  came  in  very  well. 
Of  course,  the  gentlemen  all  helped  me.  We 
slept  very  well  and  the  next  morning,  Sunday,  we 
did  some  more  cooking.  This  time  I  took  green 
pea  soup  and  added  Liebig  and  made  tea  again; 
this  time  we  had  fresh  milk. 

At  twelve  we  started  off  and  drove  to  Nedre 
Vassenden,  our  destination  of  the  previous  even 
ing.  There  we  had  coffee  and  Ed.  scrambled  some 
eggs,  which  were  excellent,  and  then  off  we  went 
again.  I  must  not  forget  to  say  that  the  people 
at  Aardal  were  exceedingly  kind  and  nice,  and  did 
everything  that  they  could  for  us.  They  wore 
quite  curious  and  very  picturesque  dresses.  After 
dinner  we  started  off  for  Hafstad,  where  I  began 
this  letter;  there  we  got  good  rooms  and  good 
supper.  Next  morning,  Monday,  off  we  started 
for  Vadheim,  the  end  of  our  carriage  journey.  We 
had  a  lovely  day  and  very  pleasant  journey,  an 
excellent  dinner  at  Sande  and  reached  Vadheim  in 
good  time  for  the  steamer  hither,  where  we  arrived 
at  half  past  three  this  morning.  I  slept  well  in  the 
ladies7  cabin,  half  dressed  and  arose  just  after  we 
arrived,  dressed  and  had  some  coffee;  then  went 
up  on  deck,  whilst  Ed.  slept  on  until  seven,  when 
we  landed.  We  came  to  the  hotel,  got  baths  and 


IN   MEMORIAM.  123 

breakfast  and  then  Ed.  went  for  the  letters,  which 
were  most  joyfully  welcomed  by  both  of  us. 

Bergen,  July  20. 

We  did  some  more  shopping  this  morning  and 
this  afternoon  I  have  been  packing  and  arranging 
matters.  We  have  sent  a  box  of  things  to  Kris- 
tiania,  so  as  to  reduce  our  luggage  still  more,  for 
much  luggage  here  is  the  greatest  nuisance.  I 
shall  post  this  in  a  few  minutes,  as  we  leave  early 
tomorrow  morning,  at  7  A.  M.  Ed.  has  written 
you  a  short  letter;  he  says  that  I  write  so  much, 
that  it  is  not  worth  while  for  him  to  do  so.  I  have 
invested  in  a  lovely  silver  fox  muff,  a  beauty.  On 
Saturday  it  will  be  just  eight  weeks  since  we  left 
and  next  week  we  shall  have  been  away  just  half 
our  time.  Despite  the  weather,  I  have  enjoyed  it, 
and  think  Norway  very  beautiful.  Travelling  here 
is  rather  hard,  but  on  the  whole  rather  amusing. 
Tomorrow  we  go  through  the  Hardangerfjord  as 
far  as  Odde.  Then  we  shall  visit  the  Skaeggedalsfos 
and  Thelemarken,  thence  to  Eidfjord  to  see  the 
Rjukanfos  and  thence  to  Eide  whence  we  drive  to 
Gudvangen  via  Vossevangen.  I  will  write,  but 
when  the  letter  reaches  you,  est  autre  chose.  We 
shall  see  both  Stockholm  and  Kjobenhavn  on  our 

way  back.     But  I  must  stop. 
******* 

ELISE. 


124  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

Odde  on  the  Sorfjord,  a  branch  of  the  Hardangerfjord, 
23  July  1881. 

Again  ule  soleil  de  Norwege,"  as  we  call  it,  viz: 
the  rain,  favors  us.  So  we  shall  probably  spend  the 
day  indoors.  As  we  are  quite  comfortable,  and  only 
lack  a  piano  to  be  quite  happy,  I  do  not  mind :  nor 
does  Ed.  judging  from  the  sounds  I  hear.  He 
is  down  stairs  with  Mr.  C.  and  Mr.  D.,  and  they  are 
evidently  trying  tours  de  force  and,  not  succeeding, 
laugh  heartily  at  one  another.  Later,  Ed.  is  going 
to  paint  one  of  the  women  here,  whilst  I  darn 
stockings  and  write  letters.  If  I  had  only  some 
books  to  read  I  should  be  charmed,  but  I  have 
read  Bennett  and  Baedeker  to  my  heart's  content 
and  really  that  kind  of  literature  palls  upon  one 
after  a  while.  But  despite  all  contrary  influences 
I  have  not  the  blues,  so  do  not  worry,  pray.  I  am 
rather  tired  of  rainy  weather,  it  is  not  fun,  but  as 
I  do  not  have  to  go  out,  I  do  not  care. 

After  I  posted  my  letter  to  you  at  Bergen,  we  had 
a  visit  from  Mr.  Gade,  our  consul  there,  who  was 
most  kind  and  who  took  charge  of  a  box  that  we 
wanted  to  send  to  Kristiania.  I  think  I  told  you 
that  we  wanted  to  reduce  our  luggage.  I  must 
tell  you  that  generally  I  have  a  footbath  every 
morning  and  that  almost  everywhere  one  can  get 
things  washed,  so  that  I  do  not  feel  like  a  pig. 
Please  excuse  mistakes,  but  Ed.  has  come  up  here 
to  paint  his  Norwegian  beauty,  and  after  a  little 


IN   MEMORIAM.  125 

the  two  other  men  came  up  to  view  his  efforts,  and 
as  they  are  all  talking  and  I  join  in  occasionally, 
I  do  not  think  that  my  letter  will  be  very  suc 
cinct:  I  think  that  I  have  used  the  word  rightly 
and  I  also  think  that  I  will  stop,  for  fear  that  I 
might  write  nonsense,  if  I  have  not  done  it  already. 
It  is  now  twelve  o'clock  and  they  are  ringing  the 
chimes,  the  first  time  that  I  have  heard  them  in 
Norway.  I  thought  of  stopping  here,  but  for 
tunately  they  have  taken  to  letter  writing  also,  so 
I  continue  this. 

Well  I  will  go  back  to  Bergen  and  our  departure 
thence.  I  cannot  say  that  we  left  there  with  deep 
regret,  for  the  hotel  was  not  very  comfortable: 
we  are  far  better  off  here.  Our  steamer  started  at 
seven  and  at  first  it  was  very  pleasant,  but  then 
down  came  the  rain,  and  we  were  driven  indoors, 
the  ladies'  cabin  being  most  stuffy  and  full  of 
children,  one  of  which,  an  unfortunate  baby,  did 
nothing  but  cry.  I  staid  up  in  the  gang-way,  where 
I  had  a  camp  stool  and  did  some  braid  work. 
Ed.  slept  most  of  the  day:  when  it  rains,  he  is 
a  perfect  dormouse.  Our  meals  on  board  were 
very  good.  Later  on  Ed.  played  the  piano  and 
we  had  a  game  of  whist,  coming  off  victors  in  the 
rubber.  About  half  past  ten  I  was  too  sleepy  for 
words,  so  I  also  laid  down,  spread  a  blanket  over 
my  feet  and  gave  myself  up  into  Morpheus'  arms 
until  a  quarter  before  one;  when  on  hearing  that 


126  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

we  were  nearing  Odde,  I  rose  from  my  not  downy 
couch  and  remounted  on  deck.  There  I  found 
that  the  rain  had  stopped  and  that  we  were  in  the 
midst  of  the  Sorfjord,  with  a  most  peculiar  light  in 
the  distance,  half  yellow  and  half  white.  It  was 
very  lovely  and  quite  vivifying,  for  it  made  us 
hope  for  fine  weather  for  the  next  day:  nor  were 
we  disappointed,  the  22d  was  lovely.  But,  as  we 
were  rather  tired,  we  did  not  go  to  the  Skaegge- 
dalsfos,  as  we  should  have  had  to  have  made  a  very 
early  start.  We  postponed  it  and  went  to  the 
Buerbrae.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  little  excur 
sion  and  saw  a  very  beautiful  glacier.  Whilst  Ed. 
sketched,  I  scrambled  up  the  side,  not  on  the 
glacier,  but  on  the  earth  bordering  it,  and  had  a 
most  beautiful  view  of  its  upper  part,  with  two  huge 
boulders  jutting  out  in  the  midst:  on  the  side  of 
one  fell  a  cascade.  I  thought  the  whole  a  lovely 
picture.  Then  we  returned  to  the  hotel,  where,  by 
the  way,  we  were  very  comfortable,  and  retired 
early. 

I  was  stopped  here  by  the  welcome  announce 
ment  of  dinner,  and  since  then  I  have  had  a  row 
round  the  fjord.  Ed.  was  so  much  pleased  with  his 
morning's  work,  that  he  resolved  to  try  his  luck 
further  this  afternoon  and  bring  home  a  delinea 
tion  of  the  fjord  as  seen  from  the  hotel  porch. 
I  did  braid  work  for  a  while,  and,  finally  getting 
tired,  thought  I  would  take  a  pull,  which  I  ac- 


IN    MEMORIAM.  127 

cordingly  did  and  quite  enjoyed.  When  I  returned 
I  found  that  my  young  man  had  quite  finished 
his  work  and  made  a  very  pretty  sketch  and  was 
quite  willing  to  take  a  stroll.  So  we  started  off 
returning  for  supper,  after  which  we  talked  politics 
and  now  I  must  to  bed,  for  we  must  rise  early  to 
morrow,  to  go  to  the  far  famed  Skaeggedalsfos.  So, 
good-night. 

Eidfjord  or  Vik,  on  the  Hardangerfjord,  25  July. 

We  arrived  here  very  pleasantly  about  one  o'clock, 
and,  having  mended  my  mackintosh  and  had  dinner, 
I  thought  I  would  enjoy  a  little  chat  with  you.  The 
hostess  has  promised  to  send  this  off  by  tomorrow's 
steamer,  whilst  I  am  at  the  Voringfos,  so  I  give  you 
a  description  of  our  expedition  of  yesterday.  I 
must  tell  you  that  I  do  not  feel  at  all  tired  from  it; 
I  am  a  little  sleepy,  but  that  can  be  easily  remedied 
by  going  to  bed  early,  and  Ed.  is  now  busy  sketch 
ing,  or  rather,  finishing  up  a  sketch  that  he  blocked 
roughly  in  yesterday. 

We  left  Odde  at  seven  o'clock  and  rowed  to 
Tyssedal.  There  we  landed  and  left  some  of  our 
wraps  in  a  cottage  and  started  off.  It  was  very 
pleasant.  No  sun  fortunately,  but  no  rain  and  our 
three  hours'  climb  proved  very  enjoyable.  We  made 
three  halts,  principally  for  me  to  rest  and  then  arrived 
at  the  lake.  We  got  into  a  boat  and  rowed  up  to 
some  falls,  very  pretty  and  picturesque.  I  must  not 
forget  to  say  that  all  along  we  had  lovely  views. 


128  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

We  ascended  1,800  feet  and  then  descended,  but 
not  so  far.  Well,  we  passed  the  aforesaid  falls, 
by  walking  round  them  and  then  we  reached  the 
lake  proper.  Again  we  embarked  and  then  had 
lunch.  We  had  a  beautiful  row  up  the  lake  passing 
the  Tyssestrenge,  a  most  lovely  fall,  and  then  we 
reached  the  Skaeggedal.  It  is  very  fine,  but  did 
not  come  up  to  my  expectations.  Niagara  has 
spoilt  me  for  falls,  I  fear.  After  staying  there 
awhile,  we  rowed  back  again,  had  some  coffee  and 
started  off  again  on  Shank's  mare.  I  found  the 
return  walk  harder,  it  did  not  take  so  long,  but  you 
know  that  I  do  not  like  descents.  Ed.  helped  me 
very  nicely,  but  declares  that  I  pinched  him  without 
mercy:  I  did  grab  him  whenever  I  could  not  get 
along  well.  Mr.  Durant  was  very  funny  to  watch: 
he  came  last.  He  is  a  Frenchman,  short  and 
stout,  and  not  used  to  scrambling,  and  not  liking 
it,  so  when  he  could  not  get  down  standing  up, 
down  he  came  on  all  fours  backwards,  and  we  got 
into  fits  of  laughing,  which  by  no  means  rendered 
his  footing  more  secure.  When  we  got  down  we 
had  a  pleasant  row  back  to  Odde,  where  I  dressed 
myself  again.  We  had  dinner  and  then  to  bed  we 
went. 

This  morning  we  rose  early,  at  six,  and  at  eight 
took  the  steamer  hither.  Tomorrow  we  go  to  the 
Voringfos,  next  day  to  Vossevangen,  the  following 
to  Gudvangen,  on  Friday  to  Laerdal,  and  on  my 


IN   MEMORIAM.  129 

birthday  to  Aardal.  Thence  our  movements  are 
rather  uncertain.  I  will  post  a  letter  at  Laerdal- 
soren  on  Friday,  and  tell  you  how  we  have  fared 
hitherto.  I  feel  quite  like  a  respectable  aunt 
travelling  round  with  some  young  nephews,  for  the 
two  young  men  who  are  still  travelling  with  us, 
are  one  23  and  the  other  25,  and  very  boyish  in 
many  ways.  So  shooting  is  one  of  the  topics  the 
three  indulge  in.  I  met  a  nice  old  English  lady 
at  Odde,  unfortunately  she  left  before  we  did. 
Did  I  tell  you  that  Dora  Norris  wrote  to  me  that 
old  Captain  Rodick  was  dead  but  the  sons  continue 
the  house  and  have  raised  the  board.  I  do  hope 
that  you  like  Catskill.  Oh  dear!  Oh  dear!  it  is 
raining  again.  I  hope  that  it  will  clear  before 

tomorrow,  and  now  au  revoir. 
******* 

ELISE. 

Gudvangen,  on  the  Nerofjord,  28  July  1881. 
I  greatly  fear  that  you  will  not  be  able  to  read 
the  pencil  written  part  of  this  letter,  still  I  will 
send  it  for  it  is  not  often  that  one  writes  letters 
in  row  boats.  Just  after  I  stopped  writing,  a  high 
wind  came  up,  and  instead  of  six  hours  we  took 
eight  and  a  half  to  reach  Eide,  but  it  was  a  glorious 
row;  and  when  we  reached  there  we  had  an  ex 
cellent  dinner,  and  then  started  for  Vossevangen. 
We  had  a  most  beautiful  drive,  over  an  excellent 


130  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

road,  splendidly  engineered  and  through  lovely 
scenery.  There,  where  we  arrived  at  ten  o'clock, 
we  got  good  rooms,  and  after  drinking  some  good 
milk,  we  retired  to  slumber  sweetly,  preparatory  to 
an  early  start  this  morning.  Vossevangen  is  a 
pretty  little  place,  and  with  a  quaint  old  church. 
But  now  you  have  heard  everything  about  the  27th, 
so  I  will  back  and  tell  you  about  our  expedition 
to  the  Voringfos  on  the  26th  and  then  narrate 
our  experiences  of  today. 

26th.  We  left  Vik  at  7  o'clock  A.  M.  on  foot, 
walked  to  a  lake,  an  half  an  hour  distant,  there  we 
found  a  boat  and  were  rowed  across  in  an  hour; 
it  was  a  very  pretty  row.  Then  we  got  horses  and 
started  off.  I  had  an  excellent  little  beast,  as 
sure  footed  as  a  mule.  When  almost  half  way, 
Ed.  decided  to  walk,  so  left  his  horse  to  await  his 
return;  and  soon  I  had  to  dismount,  for  we  came 
to  some  very  steep  smooth  rocks,  up  which  I  much 
preferred  going  on  Shank's  mare.  I  walked  for 
some  distance  and  then  remounted  and  rode  a  little 
further;  then  walked  again,  and  then  rode  until 
we  reached  the  Voringfos.  There  we  had  lunch 
and  then  Ed.  started  to  sketch,  whilst  I  scrambled 
on  further  and  went  so  near  the  fall,  that  but  for 
my  mackintosh  I  should  have  been  completely 
drenched.  The  fos  (fall)  is  very  beautiful  and 
owing  to  the  heavy  rains,  there  is  quite  a  large 
quantity  of  water  in  it,  and  it  comes  down  in  an 


IN   MEMORIAM.  131 

unbroken  leap  of  over  500  feet.  The  whole  expedi 
tion,  the  approaches  and  the  fall  itself  are  more 
beautiful  than  that  to  the  Skaeggedalsfos,  the 
color  of  the  water  of  the  latter  is  more  lovely, 
it  being  the  most  exquisite  blue,  whilst  the  Voringfos 
is  green.  Coming  back  we  stopped  at  a  farm 
half-way  to  get  some  coffee.  We  returned  about 
a  quarter  to  five,  when  after  resting  we  had 
some  dinner  and  then  to  bed  we  went.  You 
will  have  already  our  experiences  with  the  land 
lord,  so  I  will  not  repeat  them,  but  I  must  tell 
you  that  Ed.  insisted  upon  writing  something 
about  him  in  the  book  at  Eide,  so  I  suggested 
to  put  "Very  comfortable,  and  a  great  contrast 
to  the  hotel  at  Vik  (Eidfjord)"  which  he  did. 
It  answered  two  purposes,  pleased  our  landlord 
at  Eide  and  gave  the  one  at  Vik  a  hit,  but  no 
handle. 

28th  July.  We  left  Vossevangen  this  morning  in 
a  very  nice  stolkjaere  and  drove  hither.  It  rained 
most  of  the  time,  but  not  enough  to  hurt  us,  and  the 
drive  was  beautiful.  After  passing  Opheim,  where 
we  had  an  excellent  breakfast  or  lunch,  we  came 
down  the  most  intricate  series  of  zig-zags  into  the 
Nerodal,  which  is  simply  superb.  The  rocks  are  so 
fine,  they  tower  away  up  above  you,  almost  shutting 
you  in  and  are  most  grand.  It  is  the  finest  thing 
that  we  have  seen  so  far.  Ed.  declares  that  it 
resembles  his  beloved  Ampezzothal  and  that  the 


132  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

shapes  recall  the  Dolomites,  but  minus  the  color. 
It  is  wild  in  the  extreme.  Here  we  have  two  very 
nice  rooms  and  shall  most  probably  leave  tomorrow 
at  six  o'clock  per  boat  for  Laerdal.  I  have  just 
written  to  Morgan  to  send  our  letters  to  Copenhagen 
from  and  until  15th  August  and  then  to  Paris.  Our 
movements  are  rather  and  I  may  say  decidedly 
uncertain  but  we  contemplate  getting  there  by  1st 
September.  And  I  would  rather  wait  for  my  letters 
than  lose  them.  I  will  finish  this  on  the  boat  to 
morrow,  as  I  cannot  post  it  until  we  get  to  Laerdal 
and  so  au  revoir  for  the  present. 

Laerdalsoren,  29  July. 

We  arrived  here  this  morning  very  comfortably 
from  Gudvangen  and  have  passed  the  day  very 
comfortably  and  pleasantly:  this  afternoon  partly 
in  singing  and  playing  the  piano  and  partly  in  sorting 
our  things  preparatory  to  our  start  for  Aardal 
tomorrow.  Thence  we  go  to  the  Vettimorkefos  on 
Sunday  and  on  Monday  to  Eidsbugarden  and  the 
Jotunheim  lakes  where  we  shall  remain  until  Thurs 
day,  when  we  come  out  at  Sgostad  en  route  for 
Kristiania.  I  shall  post  this  tonight,  but  shall 
hardly  be  able  to  post  again  until  we  reach  Kristiania, 
so  do  not  worry  if  you  have  no  letter  for  ten  days. 
Yesterday  it  was  exactly  two  months  since  we  left 
home,  and  tomorrow  will  be  my  birthday.  I  know 
you  will  think  of  me.  The  sail  yesterday  down 
the  Naerofjord  was  superb.  It  is  the  most  beautiful 


IN   MEMORIAM.  133 

fjord  excepting  the  Geiranger  that  we  have  seen. 
And  now  au  revoir. 


ELISE. 

On  Steamer  Olaf  Tryggensson  on  the  Rautfjord, 
5  August  1881. 

Again  a  few  hasty  pencil  line.6  to  tell  you  of  our 
welfare,  so  that  this  may  be  posted  at  Kristiania 
tomorrow.  If  it  could  catch  the  Hull  steamer,  you 
would  soon  have  it,  but  as  that  is  out  of  the  question, 
I  will  send  it  as  soon  as  possible  otherwise.  My  last 
letter  was  sent  from  Laerdal  on  Saturday  last,  my 
birthday,  30th  July. 

We  took  the  steamer  and  went  round  the  Lyster- 
fjord  and  then  to  Aardal  where  we  spent  the  night. 
The  next  day,  31st  July,  we  first  walked  and  rowed 
across  a  lake,  then  walked,  then  I  rode  for  an  hour 
and  a  half.  Then  I  walked  again  as  far  as  the 
Gard  Vetti.  I  found  a  four  leaved  clover,  en  route, 
the  first  I  have  ever  found.  There  we  did  some 
cooking  and  slept.  The  following  day,  1  August,  we 
started  off  at  six  A.  M.  to  cross  the  Fleskedal  Col. 
We  first  ascended  for  900  feet,  by  a  path  winding 
up  the  side  of  the  precipice,  and  at  last  came  across 
to  the  Vettimorkefos,  which  is  most  beautiful,  by 
far  the  finest  fos  or  fall  that  I  have  seen  in  Norway. 
We  gazed  at  it  for  a  while  and  then  proceeded  and 
went  to  the  Vettimorkesaeter  and  thence  to  the 


134  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

Fleskedalsaeter,  where  we  stopped  and  ate  some 
corn  beef  and  crackers  and  drank  some  brandy  and 
water:  then  off  we  went  again.  As  we  neared  the 
Col  we  had  some  glorious  views  of  the  Jotunheim 
mountains.  Just  before  reaching  the  top  we  stopped 
and  made  another  repast  and  then  on  without 
stopping  or  ceasing,  across  rocks,  snow  fields,  etc., 
until  we  reached  Lake  Twyn.  There  we  found  a 
boat  and  rowed  over  to  Twindehoug,  where  we  found 
a  Turistforening  hut,  with  two  rooms  and  very  nice 
people.  Being  thoroughly  soaked  I  promptly  quitted 
my  dress  and  shoes  and  wrapped  myself  up  in 
blankets  and  was  waited  on  first  by  Ed.  most 
diligently  with  hot  wine  and  then  both  by  him  and 
Mr.  Calmeyn  with  Liebig  and  supper.  We  slept 
famously  and  awoke  to  find  a  very  severe  gale  blow 
ing.  So  by  one  o'clock  we  decided  to  push  on  to 
Opdalstolsaeter,  where  we  arrived  about  half  past 
seven.  Ed.  was  very  nice  both  days  and  together 
with  Mr.  C.  carried  me  on  his  ice-axe  across  three 
streams.  When  we  reached  Opdalstol  Ed.  and  I  staid 
there  whilst  Mr.  C.  went  on  to  Skogstad.  Next  morn 
ing,  August  3,  we  drove  to  Skogstad  and  had  breakfast 
and  then  drove  on  to  Rhein  where  we  spent  the  night. 
Yesterday,  4  August,  we  drove  to  Odnaes.  Today  we 
are  now  on  a  boat  and  will  soon  take  the  rail  for  Kristi- 
ania,  where  we  arrive  at  9.30.  I  am  the  first  American 
lady  who  has  ever  crossed  the  Fleskedalkol :  one 
English,  some  Swedish  and  two  Norwegian  have: 


IN   MEMORIAM.  135 

but  Ed.  did  so  want  to  go.     And  I  feel  quite  right: 
our  plans  you  shall  hear. 

August  6th.  Kristiania.  I  was  obliged  to  stop 
on  account  of  landing.  We  had  an  excellent  dinner 
and  then  started  in  the  train  for  here,  where  we 
arrived  safe  and  sound.  This  morning  we  got  our 
letters  and  glad  I  was  to  get  them,  yours  until 
18th  July:  also  one  from  Beckie,  one  from  Emily 
Bradford,  one  from  Elizabeth  Koecklin,  and  one 
from  Miss  Meeking:  and  to  hear  that  you  were 
quite  well  and  that  you  find  Catskill  so  pleasant. 
You  will  be  astonished  to  hear  that  we  leave  to 
morrow  morning  for  Stockholm  and  shall  stay  there 
until  Wednesday  evening  and  then  go  to  Copen 
hagen  and  then  to  Liibeck.  Thence  to  Dresden, 
Prague  and  Vienna  and  perhaps  to  the  Dolomites. 
If  we  do  the  latter,  we  shall  stop  but  a  very  few 
days  in  Paris  and  London,  but  I  confess  I  would 
very  much  rather  spend  both  my  time  and  money 
in  seeing  things  than  in  buying  clothes.  We  have 
been  as  busy  as  bees  all  day  packing  and  arrang 
ing  things,  and  have  sent  the  valise  to  Liver 
pool  to  await  our  arrival  there.  We  did  think  of 
Petersburg,  but  the  Czar's  life  has  been  attempted 
again,  so  we  have  concluded  to  go  to  Copenhagen 
instead.  I  will  write  more  from  Stockholm.  We 
paid  a  pleasant  visit  this  afternoon  to  Mr.  and 

Mrs.  Gade:  she  is  exceedingly  nice.      *      *      *      * 

ELISE. 
[A  letter  is  missing  here.] 


136  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

On  board  S.  S.  Constantin.  Stopping  at  Abo  (pro 
Ubo)  Finland;  and  en  route  for  Petersburg. 
12  Aug.  1881. 

We  remain  here  until  seven  o'clock  this  evening, 
which  gives  me  time  to  send  you  a  few  lines  to  tell 
you  something  further  about  your  two  chicks. 
After  posting  my  letter  to  you  on  Wednesday,  we 
went  down  and  had  some  dinner  or  rather  supper, 
after  which  we  went  for  a  walk  and  ended  up  by  stop 
ping  at  a  cafe  and  taking  some  ices  and  listening  to 
a  quite  good  band.  It  played  several  pretty  and 
well  known  things  and  ended  up  by  a  pot-pourri 
of  Norwegian  airs  which  I  was  glad  to  hear.  The 
next  morning  I  slept  very  late  and  Ed.  painted  his 
Dalecarlian  peasant,  just  her  head  and  shoulders 
and  made  a  very  pretty  little  picture  of  her.  Then 
we  went  for  our  tickets,  changed  some  English  gold 
for  Russian  money,  and  went  on  a  hunt  for  our 
consul,  as  Ed.  wanted  to  send  his  ice-axe  to  Liver 
pool.  He  found  him,  whilst  I  went  to  the  Society 
that  I  spoke  of  to  you  and  saw  their  work.  One 
woman  was  making  carpets,  all  hand  made.  I 
watched  for  awhile  and  she  explained  and  showed 
me  how  much  she  could  do  in  a  day.  Then  I  went 
in  to  the  show  room  and  bought  a  cravat  trimmed 
with  lace  made  by  the  peasants  and  a  Dalecarlian 
cap.  Then  we  wandered  round.  I  met  later  Mr. 
and  Mme.  Morel  whom  I  have  spoken  of  before; 
they  were  just  returning  from  a  trip  to  Dalecarlia, 


IN   MEMORIAM.  137 

which  they  had  enjoyed;  they  had  seen  many 
costumes.  If  we  had  not  been  going  to  Petersburg, 
I  should  have  liked  to  take  a  trip  there  but  unfor 
tunately  our  time  is  too  short,  so  it  had  to  be  left. 
Perhaps  you  and  I  may  go  there  some  time.  Mr. 
and  Mme.  Morel  came  to  see  us  off,  also  Mr.  Durant 
who  left  at  nine  by  train  for  Paris,  so  as  to  be  back 
to  vote  on  the  21st  August.  He  is  an  enrage 
Legitimiste,  and  when  he  and  Mr.  Calmeyn,  who 
is  a  Clerical  begin  to  talk  politics,  it  is  most 
amusing.  But  as  other  nations'  politics  do  not 
interest  me,  I  have  not  told  them  what  I  think, 
namely  that  the  present  struggle  is  simply  a  protest 
against  intolerance  and  a  struggle  for  liberty.  Judg 
ing  by  everything  the  papers  say,  my  criticism  is 
correct  and  Ed.  agrees  with  me.  But  there  is  no 
use  in  having  words  about  things  that  one  does 
not  care  about,  so  we  have  refrained  from  express 
ing  our  opinions,  but  nevertheless  we  have  thought 
them. 

Our  steamer  is  a  fine  one  and  we  are  quite  com 
fortable.  I  have  a  stateroom  with  a  Finnish  lady, 
who  is  charming  for  she  goes  up  on  deck  at  4  A.  M. 
and  lets  me  dress  in  peace  and  quiet  and  then  she 
arrays  herself.  Unfortunately  we  have  a  cracked 
basin,  so  it  is  rather  hard  work  to  dress  comfortably, 
but  they  have  promised  another  for  tomorrow. 
Ed.  has  a  stateroom  with  Mr.  Calmeyn  who  decided 
to  go  to  Petersburg,  so  he  is  all  right.  He  has 


138  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

captured  a  small  girl  who  came  on  board  to  sell 
flowers,  so  he  is  happy  drawing  her.  She  is  quite 
pretty  and  is  posing  beautifully.  We  went  round 
the  town  and  saw  the  old  Cathedral  and  also  a 
fine  view  from  the  Observatory.  The  people  here 
speak  Swedish  or  Finnish,  not  Russian.  Tomorrow 
we  go  to  Helsingfors  and  thence  by  rail  to  Peters 
burg.  We  took  some  time  to  get  here  and  came 
quite  a  distance  up  the  river  to  anchor  alongside 
the  quay.  The  town  is  extremely  clean  and  the 
people  ditto;  but  some  small  urchins  begged  of 
us,  whilst  in  Norway  such  a  thing  is  unknown. 
And  now  I  must  stop.  I  think  that  you  would 
enjoy  this  trip,  for  we  go  between  islands  and  the 
sea  is  as  calm  as  a  lake.  Last  night  we  were  in  the 
open  sea  for  three  hours,  but  I  slept,  so  everything 

was  serene. 
******* 

ELISE. 

On  board  S.  S.  Constantin,  In  the  Port  of  Helsingfors, 

Finland.     13  August  1881. 

We  have  been  all  round  the  town,  where  we  landed 
earlier  than  we  expected;  so  whilst  waiting  for 
dinner — for  Ed.  wants  to  paint  one  of  the  churches 
here,  and  I  cannot  very  well  wander  about  alone — 
I  thought  that  I  would  just  jot  down  a  few  lines 
to  tell  you  our  impressions  of  Helsingfors.  We 
greatly  regret  that  we  did  not  know  that  we  should 


IN   MEMORIAM.  139 

arrive  at  Abo  in  time  to  take  the  midday  train 
for  Petersburg — it  is  not  always  done  but  we  did 
it — and  had  we  known  it,  we  could  have  been  in 
Petersburg  now;  as  it  is  we  shall  not  get  there 
until  tomorrow  morning.  Yesterday  I  entered 
into  conversation  with  quite  a  good  looking  American 
lady  on  board  and  in  the  evening,  I  found  that  she 
was  Miss  Stuart.  Do  you  remember  General  and 
Mrs.  Ward  (he  was  Congressman  from  New  York) 
who  had  the  Stockton  house  on  H.  street,  the  winter 
we  were  in  Washington,  and  Mrs.  Ward's  pretty 
daughter,  Miss  Stuart?  She  had  a  cousin  and  a 
friend,  Miss  Brown,  staying  with  her.  The  lady 
I  speak  of,  now  Mrs.  Hurt  [or  Huet]  was  her  cousin, 
and  she  remembered  me  and  I  her.  She  is  very 
nice.  Her  husband  is  a  good  deal  older  than  her 
self.  She  told  me  in  the  afternoon,  before  we  found 
out  that  we  had  met  before,  that  she  had  heard  of 
Ed.  and  myself  nine  or  ten  times  in  Norway,  lastly 
from  Mrs.  Morel  and  that  we  had  excited  great 
curiosity  and  wonder  as  to  whether  we  were  Ameri 
cans  or  French.  At  Eide,  my  blue  dress  and  felt 
hat  were  even  described  to  her.  I  had  no  idea  that 
we  had  attracted  so  much  attention,  but  I  suppose 
that  one  young  lady  and  three  young  men  did  give 
people  something  to  wonder  at.  We  are  going  on 
to  Petersburg  tonight  in  the  same  train. 

There  are  also  some  other  Americans  on  board 
with  two  of  whom  I  had  an  amusing  little  exper- 


140  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

ience  in  Stockholm.  I  had  gone  to  the  apothecary 
to  get  some  rose  water,  and  they  came  in  and  gave 
a  prescription  to  be  made  up.  Then  one  asked  for 
prepared  chalk.  The  boy  gazed  at  her.  So  she 
turned  to  me  and  asked  me  if  I  would  ask  for  it, 
and  when  I  said  that  I  did  not  know  what  it  was 
(meaning  in  Swedish)  she  began  to  say  "pre-pa-red 
—chalk;  me-di-ci-na-ted — chalk.  I — use — it — for— 
my — face."  And  then  calmly  and  baldly  asked: 
"Are  you  Norwegian?"  You  may  imagine  my 
answer,  a  short,  curt  "No."  She  then  resumed: 
"Are  these  people  Norwegian?"  "Swedes"  was 
my  answer.  Then  I  waited  in  silence  for  my  rose 
water,  which  I  got  and  paid  for,  wondering  all  the 
time  how  I  was  to  ask  for  prepared  chalk  in  Swed 
ish.  Finally  I  began  a  conversation  half  German 
half  Norsk  with  the  boy,  which  ended  in  our  both 
saying  "Jey  vedder  ikke,"  i.  e.,  I  do  not  know. 
Just  at  that  moment  there  appeared  the  head 
himself.  The  lady  addressed  herself  to  him  and  he 
answered  in  French,  when  immediately  seeing  my 
way  clear,  I  spoke  to  him  and  told  him  that  she 
wanted  "craie."  This  seemed  to  puzzle  him,  so 
I  asked  if  he  had  a  dictionary.  He  produced  a 
French  and  Swedish  one;  I  found  the  word  and 
went  on  my  way  rejoicing.  On  the  steamer  I 
have  not  spoken  to  them,  they  are  not  prepossessing. 
The  Finnish  lady,  my  cabin  passenger,  asked  me 
all  sorts  of  questions  and  ended  up  by  telling  me 


IN    MEMORIAM.  141 

one  of  her  godsons  was  in  the  Baldwin  works  in 
Philadelphia;  then  she  gave  me  some  useful  in 
formation  about  Helsingfors.  We  went  to  see  the 
Greek  Church,  which  is  being  restored,  also  the 
Lutheran  which  is  very  impressive,  very  simple  and 
very  churchy;  over  the  altar  there  is  a  fine  paint 
ing.  Then  we  went  to  the  Ethnographical  Collec 
tion,  where  we  saw  the  tomb  of  an  old  bishop,  some 
interesting  costumes  and  other  curiosities.  Then  to 
the  Museum  of  Natural  History,  where  we  staid 
quite  a  while  and  then  to  the  Sculptures,  which 
consisted  of  plaster  casts  of  some  of  the  antiques. 
Then  we  wandered  round  a  little  more  and  re 
turned  to  the  steamer,  where  I  have  been  writing 
to  you  for  nearly  an  hour,  and  at  three  we  are 
going  to  dine.  There  is  a  drive  to  be  taken  from 
here,  but  as  the  day  is  rather  gray  and  Ed.  wants 
to  sketch,  we  thought  that  we  would  not  take  it, 
but  reserve  our  money  and  energy  for  Petersburg. 
We  are  quite  well  and  anticipate  much  pleasure 
from  our  stay  there.  This  letter  I  will  take  on  and 
add  to  it  tomorrow  and  then  send  it  to  you.  It 
probably  will  reach  you  almost  as  soon  as  my 
yesterday's  letter,  but  W.  will  like  having  as  many 
stamps  as  possible.  I  have  just  heard  some  people 
who  went  to  see  the  barracks  say  that  there  was 
malachite  let  in  to  the  walls  and  that  the  soldiers 
who  were  eating  their  dinner  were  eating  raw  fish 
in  their  fingers:  all  northern  nations  seem  to  enjoy 


142  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

a  fish  diet.  Did  I  tell  you  that  at  Upsala  we  met 
a  student  who  was  very  polite  and  helped  us  and 
who  told  us  that  the  law  course  there  was  six  years 
—this  was  his  last — and  he  was  busy  reading  Mr. 
Carey's  work  on  Political  Economy. 

St.  Petersburg,  14  August  1881. 
Here  we  are  at  last  and  I  can  hardly  believe  it. 
This  is  a  wonderfully  fine  city.  Great  broad  streets, 
very  clean,  and  fine  houses.  We  are  at  the  Hotel 
de  1'Europe,  just  opposite  St.  Isaac's  church,  which 
we  went  to  see  this  afternoon.  It  is  most  beautiful, 
immense,  with  four  fine  malachite  and  two  lapis 
lazuli  columns  sustaining  the  golden  doors;  and 
numerous  paintings,  some  surrounded  with  precious 
stones.  But  I  must  go  back  and  tell  you.  We 
came  on  very  comfortably  in  the  sleeping  cars. 
Ed.  and  I  had  a  compartment  to  ourselves  and  we 
both  slept  splendidly.  We  had  some  supper  last 
night  for  which  we  had  rather  a  scramble  and  a  cup 
of  tea  this  morning  which  enabled  us  on  our  arrival 
here  to  dress  and  drive  out  to  the  Monastery  of  St. 
Alexander  Nevsky  where  we  heard  the  service, 
with  some  fine  boy  voices.  Then  we  came  back, 
had  some  breakfast  and  were  off  again,  in  a  car 
riage.  We  went  to  the  place  where  the  Czar  Alex 
ander  II.  was  assassinated — they  have  erected  a 
small  chapel  there — and  the  Russians  as  they  stop 
cross  themselves  and  say  a  prayer.  Then  we  went 
to  see  the  golden  carriages;  although  it  was  Sun- 


IN   MEMORIAM.  143 

day  a  silver  rouble  gained  an  admittance  for  us, 
and  we  saw  all  the  old  and  new  vehicles.  The 
sleighs  are  beautiful:  we  saw  a  covered  one  built 
by  Peter  the  Great  into  which  I  got:  the  windows 
were  isinglass,  it  was  lined  with  green,  and  was 
quite  comfortable.  Then  we  went  to  see  the  house 
that  he  built  and  the  boat  that  his  imperial  hands 
constructed.  At  the  house  there  is  a  chapel  and 
there  we  saw  a  most  curious  sight:  all  the  people 
on  their  knees  and  pressing  near  to  the  image  of 
the  Saviour  at  the  end  of  the  room.  Here  his  image 
appears  everywhere,  the  Virgin  does  not  hold  the 
place  that  she  does  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
and  the  people  are  very  devout.  Now  must  I  stop, 
for  we  are  going  to  the  English  Church  for  evening 

service. 
******* 

ELISE. 

St.  Petersburg,  16  August  1881. 

I  stopped  on  Sunday  in  my  enunciation  of  the 
sights  we  had  seen  to  go  to  church,  where  we  heard 
an  excellent  sermon,  and  it  is  rather  hard  to  remem 
ber  where  I  left  off;  so  I  will  just  tell  you  about  our 
yesterday's  employment  and  trust  that  the  rest 
will  come  back  to  me.  On  Monday  whilst  waiting 
for  our  passports  which  had  to  be  sent  to  the  Police 
office,  we  went  to  the  banker's,  where  I  drew  2000 
francs;  then  we  got  our  documents  and  started  for 


144  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

the  Hermitage.  There  we  saw  the  far-famed  col 
lection  of  pictures.  I  do  not  like  it  near  as  much 
as  the  Dresden  gallery,  but  still  there  are  some 
beautiful  things  there:  some  lovely  Murillos  and 
Van  Dycks,  and  also  Rembrandts,  a  superb  por 
trait  by  Raphael  and  his  Vierge  de  THermitage. 
We  also  saw  some  superb  old  golden  jewelry  and 
bronzes  and  engravings,  and  tore  ourselves  away 
with  regret,  but  we  wanted  to  see  Tzarskoe  Selo. 
So  we  had  to  take  the  train.  Thither  we  drove  and 
to  Tzarskoe  Selo  repaired.  We  got  a  carriage  and 
drove  through  the  park  to  the  Arsenal,  where  we 
saw  some  very  fine  armor  and  other  curiosities 
including  the  most  wonderful  Tatar  gong:  when 
struck  the  sound  gradually  swelled.  Do  not  im 
agine  it  to  be  anything  like  the  barbaric  sounds 
that  awake,  or  rather,  try  to  awake  us  at  Bar 
Harbor.  This  was  real  music,  and  very  beautiful, 
so  deep  and  full.  Then  we  drove  round  and  saw  the 
palaces.  Catherine  IFs,  or  as  they  call  her  here, 
Ekaterina,  is  very  imposing  in  its  barbaric  mag 
nificence;  we  could  not  go  in,  as  they  are  re 
arranging  it.  The  grounds  are  beautiful  and  full 
of  queer  and  odd  fancies.  Then  we  drove  to  Pav- 
lossk,  where  we  saw  another  palace  and  where  we 
dined  very  nicely  at  a  restaurant.  Afterwards  we 
heard  an  excellent  band  play  and  we  returned  to 
Petersburg  in  good  spirits.  I  do  not  speak  of  all 
the  statues,  etc.,  that  we  have  seen.  The  monu- 


IN    MEMORIAM.  145 

ment  to  the  Emperor  Alexander  I,  in  front  of  the 
Winter  Palace,  is  the  finest. 

18th  Aug.  We  are  off  to  Moscow  in  half  an 
hour,  but  I  will  scribble  a  few  more  lines  to  tell  you 
of  yesterday.  We  went  early  in  the  morning  to  the 
Academy  of  Arts  where  we  saw  some  very  fine 
modern  paintings,  some  with  gorgeous  colorings. 
Then  Ed.  paid  a  pleasant  visit  to  Colonel  Hoffman, 
who  came  to  see  us  last  night.  Then  we  went  off 
to  Peterhof  by  steamer.  It  was  very  interesting 
to  go  down  the  Neva  and  see  Petersburg  with 
its  domes  gradually  recede.  Then  we  drove  round, 
saw  Catherine  II's  palace  and  several  others,  in 
cluding  Monplaisir,  where  we  saw  the  kitchen, 
where  the  Empress  Elizabeth  cooked  her  dinner. 

And  now  I  must  off. 
******* 

ELISE. 

Moscow,  20  August,  1881. 

Since  I  last  wrote  to  you  from  Petersburg,  three 
or  four  days  since,  I  have  not  slept  in  a  bed;  to 
night,  I  shall  have  that  pleasure,  and  then  probably 
not  again,  until  I  reach  Vienna;  for  we  have  decided 
to  go  there  from  Warsaw  via  Cracow,  so  as  to  see 
the  salt  mines.  We  leave  here  tomorrow  at  mid 
night  for  Warsaw,  where  we  shall  arrive  on  Tues 
day;  we  therefore  spend  two  nights  on  the  cars, 
but  I  am  now  so  accustomed  to  sleeping  in  them  I 
do  not  care.  On  Wednesday  night  we  came  here 


146  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

from  Petersburg,  very  comfortably,  for  thanks  to 
Ed's  running  round  and  through  the  assistance  of 
the  hotel  porter,  we  got  a  sleeper  compartment 
with  four  berths;  and,  as  we  were  three,  no  one 
else  was  put  in,  so  I  had  no  one  over  me,  and  slept 
very  nicely.  When  we  got  here,  I  made  a  hurried 
toilet  and  then  we  breakfasted  and  took  a  carriage 
and  went  off  round  the  town  and  also  off  to  Sparrow 
Hills,  whence  Napoleon  surveyed  Moskva. 

Then  we  drove  all  round  and  finally  started  for 
Nidjni-Novgorod  at  9.30.  There  were  no  sleepers, 
but  I  got  a  small  compartment  for  two  all  to  my 
self,  and  Ed.  and  Mr.  Calmeyn  had  four  seats  that 
drew  together  in  a  communicating  compartment, 
in  which  was  also  a  very  nice  Russian  gentleman 
who  spoke  French  very  well  and  who  lent  me  a 
pillow  on  which  I  slept  beautifully;  and  he  did  the 
same  coming  back,  so  I  was  most  splendidly  off: 
was  he  not  kind?  We  almost  went  to  Kazan  down 
the  Volga,  but  Ed.  was  afraid  that  we  should  then 
not  have  time  for  Vienna,  so  we  concluded  not  to 
go  to  Kazan.  The  fair  at  Nidjni  is  very  curious, 
and  the  town  itself  is  very  prettily  situated.  We 
took  a  row  on  the  Volga.  As  I  am  writing  rather 
post  haste,  I  must  leave  a  good  deal  to  tell  you 
until  we  get  home. 

Moskva  is  most  curious  and  interesting.  We 
went  all  round  the  Kremlin  today,  the  palace  and 
the  churches.  The  Assumption  is  very  beautiful 


IN   MEMORIAM.  147 

and  all  decorated  with  paintings.  We  saw  the 
Vladimir  Virgin,  as  she  is  called,  on  which  is  £45,000 
of  diamonds  and  precious  stones  and  very  beautiful 
ones  too.  It  is  the  church  where  the  Tzars  are 
crowned,  or  rather  crown  themselves.  Our  way 
of  sight  seeing  would  rather  amuse  you,  I  think. 
After  seeing  a  certain  quantity  of  sights,  both  the 
men  get  tired  and  propose  strolling  around.  How 
ever,  it  is  most  interesting  to  do  so  here,  and  when 
I  have  Ed.  all  to  myself  as  I  shall  when  we  leave 
Warsaw,  I  shall  do  more  as  I  like.  Ed.  bought  a 
Circassian  belt  today  and  I  one  also,  a  small  one 
very  pretty  which  I  think  of  sending  to  Grace 
Balch,  and  eighteen  Circassian  silver  buttons  to 
put  on  a  dress  waist;  they  are  not  very  large  but 
quite  pretty  and  will  look  well  on  either  pink  or 
blue.  Now  I  must  say  goodnight.  I  will  send  a 
postal  from  Warsaw.  Hurrah!  to  think  that  one 
week  from  tomorrow  we  shall  sail  for  home. 
******* 

ELISE. 

Moscow,  21  August  1881. 

We  concluded  to  remain  here  until  tonight,  for 
we  thought,  or  rather  I  did,  that  it  was  rather  a 
pity  not  to  see  Moscow  (Moskva)  thoroughly.  Ed. 
was  quite  ready  as  he  wanted  some  sketches.  He 
has  been  at  work  all  the  morning,  and  has  made  a 
lovely  one  of  St.  Basil,  the  quaint  old  church  near 


148  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

the  Kremlin  and  begun  one  of  the  Kremlin  walls 
which  he  is  going  to  finish.  I  meanwhile  went  to 
see  the  Treasury,  where  I  saw  some  beautiful 
crowns  of  jewels  belonging  to  the  various  Tzars 
and  some  magnificent  old  plate,  and  the  Romanoff 
House  with  Mr.  Calmeyn.  Then  wandering  through 
the  Bazaar  (private  now)  we  came  upon  a  Russia 
leather  store — it  was  a  wholesale  place — but  by 
dint  of  persuasion  I  managed  to  buy  two  pairs 
of  uppers  for  boots  for  W.  Please  do  not  tell  him 
for  they  are  to  be  a  grand  surprise :  Roller  can  make 
them  up  and  they  will  be  famous  for  bad  weather. 
They  are  safely  packed  away  in  my  trunk  and  will 
now  travel  to  Austria.  I  know  that  the  young 
man  will  be  charmed  and  you  too:  one  pair  can 
be  made  up  immediately  and  the  other  put  away 
until  needed.  I  am  going  back  there  in  a  little 
while  to  buy  Ed.  a  yellow  pair.  Those  I  got  for 
W.  are  black  and  waterproof,  whilst  Ed.  wants 
a  pair  of  yellow  ones  for  house  wear.  Everything 
in  my  trunk  will  smell  of  Russia  leather  now,  but 
I  do  not  care. 

Yesterday  Ed.  and  I  went  in  the  morning  to  the 
Cathedral  of  the  Assumption  to  hear  service.  Some 
of  the  singing  was  lovely,  the  voices  were  so  sweet, 
all  without  any  accompaniment.  Afterwards  we 
went  into  several  of  the  other  churches,  and  after 
lunch  Ed.  began  his  sketch  of  St.  Basil,  whilst  I 
went  off  to  wander  round  by  myself.  I  went  up 


IN   MEMORIAM.  149 

into  the  Kremlin,  when  a  small  boy  offered  himself 
as  guide.  I  followed  and  ascended  some  steps  when 
I  found  myself  in  a  church,  or  rather  at  the  door 
of  one  guarded  by  a  soldier.  The  urchin  proceeded, 
so  I  went  on  up  some  more  stairs,  past  another 
soldier  and  into  a  room  where  I  found  a  priest 
robed  in  black  satin,  with  flowing  sleeves  lined 
with  a  reddish  brown,  who  was  starting  to  lead  two 
officers  and  a  small  boy  round  the  sights  of  the 
Sacristy,  as  it  turned  out  to  be.  He  made  some 
polite  speech  to  me  in  Russian,  to  which,  alas, 
I  could  not  respond,  so  I  said  in  German  "Konnen 
sie  Deusch  sprechen?"  "Nyet,  nyet,"  "no,  no," 
was  the  answer,  "Rusk."  But  then  he  motioned 
me  to  follow  and  I,  nothing  loath,  complied.  To 
make  a  long  story  short,  as  I  am  soon  to  get  ready 
for  dinner,  we  went  in  to  the  Sacristy  where  I  saw 
the  robes  worn  by  the  various  Patriarchs  all  covered 
with  pearls  and  embroidery:  also  their  crowns 
glittering  with  jewels  and  their  silver:  also  the 
silver  vessels  in  which  the  Holy  Oil  is  made  with 
which  they  baptize  children.  They  were  all  given 
by  Catherine  II,  or  Ekaterina  as  her  name  is  in 
Russian:  on  the  lid  of  one  is  Samuel  anointing 
David  in  gold  figures.  When  I  turned  to  leave 
after  having  seen  all,  he  gave  me  a  small  pamphlet 
in  Russian  relating  to  the  robes  that  I  had  seen. 
I  found  my  guide,  viz.  the  small  urchin  outside: 
he  led  me  to  the  Chapel  below,  where  a  polite  old 


150  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

verger  took  charge  of  me  and  showed  me  round. 
Then  I  went  in  search  of  Ed.  I  found  him 
very  happy,  sketching  busily  away.  When  he  had 
finished,  we  went  up  Ivan's  tower  and  had  a  very 
fine  view  of  Moscow.  Then  we  returned  to  dinner, 
not  a  table  d'hote,  for  they  do  not  have  them  in 
Russia.  One  takes  a  dinner  for  so  much,  and  they 
are  generally  very  good.  The  cuisine  here  is 
excellent,  the  rooms  are  rather  dear,  but  not  the 

food. 
******* 

ELISE. 

There  are  no  more  letters  remaining  about  this 
trip.  From  Moscow  we  went  to  Warsaw,  to  Krakow, 
to  Wielitza  and  the  salt  mines,  to  Vienna,  Munich, 
Berne,  Interlaken,  Grindelwald,  Lausanne,  Dijon, 
Orleans,  Blois,  Amboise,  Tours,  Chartres,  Paris, 
Ricquebourg  (the  chateau  of  Mrs.  John  J.  Ridgway) 
London  and  Liverpool.  We  returned  on  the  Ameri 
can  Line  S.  S.  Ohio,  reaching  home  on  3  October. 

1894. 

I  add  here  one  other  letter  to  myself,  written 
in  Germany. 

Hamburg  v.  d.  Hohe,  June  17ih,  1894- 
M.  and  I  both  began  taking  the  waters  this  morn 
ing.    We  went  last  evening  to  see  "Le  Postillion 
de  Longjumeau,"  very  nicely  sung  by  the  Darm- 


IN    MEMORIAM.  151 

stadt  Opera  troupe:  we  paid  five  marks  for  our 
two  places.  We  thought  of  you  and  W.  starting 
from  New  York  and  wished  you  a  bon  voyage 
in  every  sense  of  the  word.  We  have  a  gay 
situation  here:  just  opposite  the  Kurhaus  and  the 
Kurgarten,  so  we  can  hear  the  music  in  the  after 
noon  and  watch  the  people  walking  about.  We 
shall  not  travel  a  great  deal  after  we  leave  here, 
but  shall  take  our  trip  across  France,  early  in  August. 
And  if  you  and  W.  are  through  with  the  mountains 
you  might  meet  us  in  Holland  perhaps  for  a  few 
days  before  crossing  to  England  and  then  you  could 
see  Bruges  and  Ghent  at  the  same  time.  Bruges 
you  will  both  like  and  by  taking  a  little  carriage- 
two  francs  an  hour — you  can  get  such  a  good  idea 
of  the  old  medieval  town.  The  Memling  pictures 
are  wonderfully  fine,  they  and  the  tombs  in  the 
Church  of  Notre  Dame,  and  the  Cheminee  du 
Franc,  in  the  Palais  de  Justice,  are  what  you  and 
W.  would  like  most:  they  are  all  near  each  other. 
But  the  old  gates  and  the  quaint  houses  and  the 
views  of  the  town  can  be  best  seen  by  driving.  At 
Ghent,  the  Van  Eyck  and  the  Beguinage  are  the 
chief  features  and  you  and  W.  would  not  have  to 
spend  the  night  there,  unless  you  stopped  at  Anvers 
to  see  the  Exposition.  "  Vieil  Anvers'7  is  interesting 

but  Chicago  has  spoilt  me  for  ordinary  Expositions. 
******* 

ELISE. 


ELISE   WILLING  BALCH — IN   MEMORIAM.          153 


VI. 
LAST  DAYS. 

During  her  early  life,  my  sister  enjoyed  robust 
health  and  was  seldom  sick.  One  of  her  rare  ill 
nesses  occurred  on  her  visit  to  Italy  in  1871,  when 
she  had  an  attack  of  what  was  then  called  Roman 
fever.  In  her  later  years,  however,  she  suffered 
a  good  deal  from  gout,  which  was  counteracted  to 
some  extent  by  repeated  visits  to  Homburg  vor-der- 
Hohe,  to  drink  Elizabeth  water.  In  the  last  year 
or  two  of  her  life,  she  began  to  show  symptoms  of 
heart  trouble  which  towards  the  beginning  of  April, 
1913,  became  acute.  She  failed  more  and  more 
after  this  and  to  escape  the  heat  of  Philadelphia, 
about  the  20th  of  June,  1913,  she  was  taken  to  the 
Chestnut  Hill  Hospital,  where  at  4.10  P.  M.  on 
Monday,  23  June,  1913,  she  gently  passed  away. 
She  was  buried  in  the  " Swift"  lot,  Trinity  Church, 
Oxford,  Philadelphia,  at  12  M.  on  Thursday,  26 
June,  1913,  and  the  enormous  number  of  her  friends 
who  attended  her  funeral,  where  the  services  were 
conducted  by  the  Rev.  Horace  W.  Fuller,  Rector 
of  the  church,  showed  how  much  she  was  thought  of. 

The  announcement  of  my  sister's  decease  appeared 
on  24  June,  1913,  in  the  Philadelphia  newspapers, 
Inquirer,  Public  Ledger,  Press,  Record  and  Evening 
Telegraph  as  follows: 


154  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

"BALCH,  June  23,  Elise  Willing,  daughter  of 
Emily  Swift  and  the  late  Thomas  Balch,  in  the  60th 
year  of  her  age.  Services  at  Trinity  Church,  Oxford, 
Thursday,  June  26,  at  12  noon." 

Many  notices  about  her  decease  also  appeared  in 
various  newspapers,  among  which  were  the  follow 
ing: 

PUBLIC  LEDGER. 
Philadelphia,  Tuesday,  June  %4i  1913. 

Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch,  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Thomas  Balch,  who  formerly  was  Miss  Emily  Swift, 
one  of  the  foremost  women  of  Philadelphia  society, 
a  leading  philanthropist  and  a  patron  of  music, 
died  in  the  Chestnut  Hill  Hospital  yesterday  after 
noon,  after  an  illness  of  two  weeks.  *  *  * 

Several  months  ago  Miss  Balch  became  ill  from 
grip,  which  impaired  her  health  for  many  weeks. 
The  effects  never  entirely  left  her,  and  a  little  more 
than  two  weeks  ago  she  became  a  patient  in  the 
hospital. 

She  and  her  family  expected  her  recovery  and  she 
had  engaged  apartments  in  Cape  May,  planning  to 
go  there  to  recuperate.  Usually  the  family  spent  the 
summer  on  the  Massachusetts  North  Shore.  It  was 
on  account  of  her  indisposition  that  Miss  Balch  was 
unable  to  attend  the  unveiling  of  the  New  Jersey 
monument  at  Valley  Forge,  in  which  as  an  officer  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  she  had 
expected  to  be  an  active  participant. 


IN    MEMORIAM.  155 

Thomas  Balch,  Miss  Balch's  father,  was  an  at 
torney,  practicing  in  this  city  until  his  death.  He 
was  born  in  Virginia,  but  the  family  came  from  Mary 
land.  The  Swift  family,  a  member  of  which  he  mar 
ried  after  settling  here,  is  prominent  in  Philadel 
phia.  The  Willing  family  is  a  close  branch  of  the 
Swifts.  All  members  of  the  family,  in  both  this 
city  and  New  York,  trace  back  to  a  common  ances 
tor,  Thomas  Willing.  *  *  * 

Funeral  services  will  be  held  on  Thursday  from 
Trinity  Church,  Oxford,  at  noon. 

THE  PRESS. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Tuesday,  June  24,  1913. 

Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch,  a  member  of  a  family 
which  for  years  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  movements  for  the  welfare  of  Philadelphia, 
died  yesterday  in  the  Chestnut  Hill  Hospital  after 
a  brief  illness. 

Miss  Balch  was  a  leader  in  Philadelphia's  exclusive 
society  and  was  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  Acorn 
and  Sedgeley  Clubs,  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America 
and  other  organizations.  *  *  * 

For  years  she  was  a  patron  of  grand  opera. 
Her  mother,  who  survives,  attended  the  first  oper 
atic  production  in  the  Academy  of  Music  and 
missed  few  performances  since.  Miss  Balch  gen 
erally  accompanied  her  parent  in  later  years. 
*  *  * 


156  ELISE    WILLING    BALCH. 

Her  father,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  married  Miss 
Emily  Swift  in  this  city  in  1852,  and  achieved  promi 
nence  at  the  New  York  and  Philadelphia  bars,  was 
the  first  American  who  advocated  arbitration  as  a 
means  to  settle  international  disputes. 

Miss  Balch  was  in  her  sixtieth  year.  The  funeral 
will  be  held  in  Trinity  Church,  Oxford,  at  twelve 
noon,  Thursday. 

THE  EVENING  BULLETIN. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Tuesday,  June  24,  1913. 

Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch  died  yesterday  afternoon 
at  the  Chestnut  Hill  Hospital  after  an  illness  of 
two  weeks.  Her  death  comes  as  a  shock  to  her  family 
and  large  circle  of  friends  in  this  city. 

Born  nearly  sixty  years  ago  in  Philadelphia,  she 
was  the  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas  Balch,  her 
mother  being  Miss  Emily  Swift,  daughter  of  the  late 
Joseph  Swift,  and  niece  of  the  late  Edwin  Swift. 
Her  father  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  but  his  family 
came  originally  from  Maryland.  He  was  a  lawyer 
by  profession,  and  achieved  prominence  at  the  New 
York  and  Philadelphia  bars  and  was  the  first  Ameri 
can  to  advocate  arbitration  as  a  means  to  settle 
international  disputes.  For  many  years  Mr.  Balch 
and  his  family  lived  abroad,  and  while  there  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  many  distinguished  in  the  world 
of  Art  and  Letters. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  157 

Miss  Balch  was  extremely  prominent  in  the  social 
life  of  this  city.  She  was  one  of  the  early  members  of 
the  original  Society  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Acorn  and  Sedgeley  Clubs. 
She  was  a  great  patron  of  music. 

Through  her  mother's  family  Miss  Balch  was  a 
descendant  of  Thomas  Willing,  and  was  closely 
connected  with  many  families  of  distinction  in  this 
city  and  abroad.  The  funeral  will  take  place  on 
Thursday  at  12  o'clock  at  Trinity  Church,  Oxford, 
and  the  interment  will  be  in  the  church  yard  of 
that  venerable  parish,  where  for  several  generations 
members  of  the  Swift  family  have  been  buried. 

PUBLIC  LEDGER. 

Philadelphia,  Wednesday,  June  25,  1913. 

The  death  of  Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch  on  Monday, 
after  a  brief  illness,  came  with  somewhat  of  a  shock. 
While  no  longer  a  young  woman,  Miss  Balch  had 
been  actively  engaged  in  many  social  and  musical 
interests,  and  those  activities  continued  to  the  last. 
She  lived  with  her  mother  and  her  brother,  Thomas 
Willing  Balch,  at  1412  Spruce  Street.  *  *  * 

Miss  Balch  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Phila 
delphia  Society  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
of  which  Mrs.  George  McClellan  is  the  president, 
and  of  which  she  was  the  secretary.  She  also  was  an 
ardent  supporter  of  *  *  *  musical  organiza 
tions.  She  was  one  of  the  most  regular  attendants 


158  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

of  grand  opera  wherever  given,  being  a  true  lover  of 
music.  In  her  youth  she  was  herself  a  musician. 

Indeed,  she  was  a  most  accomplished  woman.  She 
had  been  given  every  advantage  of  travel  abroad  and 
was  an  admirable  linguist,  speaking  French  and 
German  with  equal  facility,  and  possessing  besides 
a  convenient  knowledge  of  other  languages.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Acorn  Club  and  a  member  of  the 
*  *  *  Sedgeley  Club.  Not  only  had  she  many 
friends,  but  she  was  one  of  the  few  of  whom  it  may 
be  said  truly  that  she  had  no  enemy. 

A  courteous,  kindly  lady  of  gentle  birth  and  breed 
ing,  without  malice  and  without  reproach,  a  devoted 
daughter  and  sister,  she  lived  her  pleasant,  peace 
ful,  useful  life  like  a  gentlewoman  of  the  old  school, 
and  died  regretted  by  many. 

THE  PRESS. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Friday,  June  27,  1913. 

The  funeral  of  Miss  Elise  W.  Balch,  a  member  of 
a  prominent  Philadelphia  family,  who  died  on  Mon 
day  in  the  Chestnut  Hill  Hospital,  was  held  yester 
day  at  noon  in  the  Trinity  Church,  Oxford.  The 
services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Fuller,  pastor 
of  the  church.  Burial  was  made  in  the  churchyard 
surrounding  the  church. 

The  church  was  filled  to  its  doors  during  the 
funeral  services.  Many  handsome  floral  pieces  were 
presented. 


IN   MEMORIAM.  159 

INQUIRER. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Jun.  29,  1913. 

Members  of  society  were  much  surprised  and 
grieved  when  they  learned  of  the  death  of  Miss 
Elise  Willing  Balch,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Thomas 
Balch  and  the  late  Thomas  Balch. 

Miss  Balch  was  prominent  in  the  social  life  of  the 
city.  She  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Society  of  Arts  and  Letters  and  was  a  Colonial 
Dame.  During  the  winter  Miss  Balch,  with  her 
mother  and  brothers,  resided  at  1412  Spruce  Street. 
They  entertained  every  night  at  the  opera  in  their 
box  at  the  Academy  of  Music,  and  later  at  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House.  Miss  Balch  was  a 
member  of  the  Assembly. 

PUBLIC  LEDGER. 

Philadelphia,  Sunday,  June  29,  1913. 
Little  else  was  spoken  of  last  week  besides  the 
death  of  Miss  Elise  Willing  Balch,  which  occurred 
on  the  23d  at  the  Chestnut  Hill  Hospital.  She  was 
related  to  so  many  prominent  families  and  had  so 
many  friends  that  her  unexpected  death  caused 
something  like  consternation.  Her  father,  Thomas 
Balch,  was  an  eminent  man.  *  *  *  To  him 
belongs  the  credit  for  the  first  suggestion  that 
led  to  the  establishment  of  the  Geneva  tribunal, 
and  he  laid  his  views  before  President  Lincoln, 
who  approved  the  plan.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 


160  ELISE    WILLING   BALCH. 

of  the  Philadelphia  Cricket  Club  and  the  Ritten- 
house  Club  and  published  many  interesting  papers, 
notably  "The  Shippen  Papers/'  Mrs.  Balch,  who 
was  Miss  Swift,  is  related  to  the  Shippens.  Her 
grandmother  was  Mary  Shippen,  who  married 
Samuel  Swift  in  1793.  Both  she  and  her  husband 
are  buried  at  Trinity  Church,  Oxford  township, 
where  Miss  Balch  was  buried  on  Thursday  last. 
The  son  of  Mary  and  Samuel  Swift,  Joseph  Swift, 
married  Eliza  Willing  in  1831,  who  was  the  mother 
of  Mrs.  Balch. 

Miss  Balch  was  highly  accomplished.  She  was 
a  good  musician,  and  when  German  opera  was 
given  she  was  apt  to  carry  with  her  the  score  and  to 
follow  the  singers  as  they  sang,  controlling  their 
rendition  of  the  Wagnerian  thought.  She  was  also 
an  excellent  linguist.  Her  interests  were  largely 
musical.  *  *  *  Her  mother  had  subscribed  to 
opera  ever  since  the  Academy  of  Music  was  built. 
She  was  secretary  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  America, 
the  Philadelphia  branch  of  which  she  helped  to  or 
ganize,  taking  an  earnest  part  in  the  difficulties  that 
followed,  both  with  the  New  York  Dames  in  the 
beginning  of  the  organization  and  from  time  to 
time  later  on  with  the  rival  society.  Recently 
she  and  her  mother  gave  a  "tea"  at  Valley  Forge 
to  which  many  were  invited  outside  of  the  society. 
It  was  then  that  her  illness  overtook  her.  She 
was  unable  to  be  present  at  her  own  party,  and 


IN   MEMOKIAM.  161 

Mrs.  Balch  alone  did  the  honors  of  the  occasion. 
She  never  was  well  again.  The  family  were  unable 
to  occupy  the  rooms  they  had  engaged  for  June  at 
Devon  Inn.  Two  weeks  before  her  death  she  had 
to  be  taken  to  the  hospital  where  she  died.  The 
funeral  on  Thursday  was  a  notable  one,  as  many 
people  turned  out  whom  one  rarely  sees. 

CLUB-FELLOW. 

New  York,  July  2,  1913. 

Elise  Willing  Balch's  death  on  Monday  night 
threw  a  damper  over  all  society.  Miss  Balch  had 
such  a  delightful  personality  that  she  endeared  her 
self  to  all.  She  was  nearly  sixty  years  old  and  had 
been  a  prominent  figure  in  society  for  many  years. 
She  and  her  mother  attended  every  opera  and  every 
assembly  and  entertained  a  lot  in  a  dignified  un 
ostentatious  way.  The  Balch  home  is  1412  Spruce 
Street  and  it  was  there  that  Miss  Balch  resided  with 
her  mother,  Mrs.  Thomas  Balch,  who  survives  her, 
and  her  brother,  Mr.  Thomas  Willing  Balch.  An 
other  brother  is  Mr.  Edwin  Swift  Balch.  Miss  Balch 
had  been  ill  with  the  grippe  for  some  time,  but  her 
death  was  very  unexpected,  and  was  a  great  shock 
to  her  many  friends.  She  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Acorn  and  Sedgeley  Clubs,  the  Colonial  Dames 
of  America  and  other  exclusive  organizations. 


162  ELISE   WILLING   BALCH. 

On  my  sister's  tombstone  at  Trinity  Church, 
Oxford,  Philadelphia,  the  following  inscription  was 
placed: 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

ELISE  WILLING   BALGH 

DAUGHTER  OF 
THOMAS  BALCH 

AND 

EMILY  SWIFT  BALCH 
BORN  AT   "WOODFIELD"   PHILADELPHIA, 

30  JULY,  1853. 

DIED  AT  CHESTNUT  HILL,  PHILADELPHIA 
23  JUNE,  1913 


"MANY  DAUGHTERS  HAVE  DONE  VIRTUOUSLY, 

BUT  THOU  EXCELLEST  THEM  ALL" 
PROVERBS  31,  XXIX. 


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